Taming The Giant Blonde Shemale
by LittleCandyMan
Summary: Sarah escapes being a slaved cage-fighter in Thailand after two harsh years of captivity and forced fighting. She has no outlook on life until she meets an innocent nerd that is her last salvation before becoming lost forever. But not everything goes her way and her captors aren't so easily evaded, causing her to make some very tough decisions.
1. Prisoner of War

**I'mmmmm Baaaaaaccccckkkkk! You didn't think I'd be gone for that long, did you? I had some other stuff to do, which is unbelievably rare. This is a completely AU story where Sarah is a prisoner in Thailand who is forced to fight other people. This is kind of a mixture of the movie **_**Valhalla Rising**_**, which was an odd movie to say the least, and **_**Chuck Versus the Phase Three**_** because that episode was just pure awesomeness. And still have never used a beta which I feel is pretty amazing on my part. Enough gloating and on with this new story. It will be slightly heavy on violence and nudity.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

The crimson red blood mixed with mud and sweat creates a blackened red mushy substance that drips from her clenched fists in front of her raggedy black tank top clad chest rising with each heave of breath that sucks into her lungs. Her forearms are draped with bandages that are so thickly wrapped; they act as padding that goes from her wrists to just below the crook of her elbows. She stares down over her fallen opponent with a completely stoic expression.

Her blonde hair is draped down to her lower back and clothed over her face lighting her murky face up in a yellowish shadow from the sun beaming down on her grimy hair. A lifeless body rests limply between her parted legs and shows no signs of life. What's left of her opponent's face is just a reddish, blackish mush that used to be a nose, two eyes, and a mouth. She slowly lets hands fall to her sides as she unclenches them and looks over to the right where a Thai man, dressed in a white business suit, is sitting in a chair and the surrounding arena engulfed by Thai people watching in awe. She looks around the small eight square foot arena with splintering grimy ten foot wooden walls that imprison her inside.

The crowd erupts with cheers as the hair parts from her eyes as she looks up to the bright blue sky as if she is looking up to god. "Congratulations," the Thai man says ominously as a grin gradually forms on his face. "The Blonde wins once again."

She looks back down at her dirty and grimy arms and sees the scars that run beneath her forearm wraps that are raveled around her knuckles as she sees the bloody goop drip off her knuckles. She continues to look down to her dirty blood and grime stained short mid-thigh black shorts that her long tan legs littered with scars are protruding from. Her bare feet inside the inch of mud along the ground complete her ensemble. Her breathing quickly calms to a restful level as she steps over the dead body between her feet.

"Get her in her cage," the Thai man orders.

Four guards step into the arena and cautiously approach her with assault rifles. "Put your hands out," one of the guards demands. She keeps her face expressionless under her long flowing blonde hair as she puts her wrists outward with her palms up. She feels cold rusty metal against her wrists as they place shackles around her wrists tightly clacking together followed by a metal collar that is chained to the shackles on her wrists. She lets her shackled hands fall to her waist as they prod her with the barrel of an assault rifle into her back. "Move!" She cannot do anything but listen to the order as they take her to a large cage.

They toss her into a large cage with thick wooden branches that reach over fifteen feet high and are over a foot deep into the earth. She already looked for any possible structural weaknesses when she was first thrown in nearly two years ago, but came up empty as this Thai man definitely doesn't want anyone to escape. They close and lock the cage quickly so she doesn't have a chance to escape. She stumbles a few feet and regains her balance. She looks around at the tired and beaten men and women inside the large cage. She can feel every pair of eyes on her, even the man who only has one eye after a very gruesome fight he was barely able to come out of alive. She sits down against the back of the cage and pulls her knees to her tank top clad chest. She stoically looks at all the people around her, noticing she is still the only American among them. Their stares finally fade off her as there isn't anything left to see. It has nothing to do with her wanting to fight and kill these people, but she is completely forced. She could give up and let the next fighter kill her and she has thought about it, many times, but she still has a sliver of hope that continues to flicker and keep her from completely giving up. She allows sleep to overcome her as there is nothing else she can do but wait.

/

She awakes to a scuffling noise and her eyes open to see a guard pulling one of the women out of the cage by her shirt, much to her protest. Her shirt tears slightly from the tussle, causing her breasts to fall out in the commotion. The Blonde watches as the guard drags the women forcibly away with a sick smile on his face. The Blonde knows the woman is about to be raped and possibly forced into doing sick things for that man or others. It's absolutely disgusting how these people treat women, but they don't have any souls; much like she doesn't think she has one either. The only reason why they don't try to rape her is because she is so deadly that they don't want to die trying to rape her.

/

The next time she wakes up, she opens up a single eyelid to see the same woman taken earlier tossed back into the cage. The woman quickly fixes her raggedy shirt to cover her dirty defiled chest and sits in the corner and sobs quietly. The Blonde knows that this happens almost weekly, so she knows there isn't anything she can do so she slowly lets her eyelid drop and she succumbs to sleep.

/

The Blonde wakes up and it is dark out. The other prisoners/fighters/slaves are slurping on their bowls of food or the sorry excuse of food they serve. "Dinner!" A Thai guard yells at her as he leaves a bowl and a cup of water on the opposite side of the cage. She eyes him skeptically, causing fear to rise in him. "Eat it!" He demands as he continues his walk, not able to hold his stare with those deadly sapphire eyes of the Blonde.

The Blonde walks over to the bowl and cup and looks down at them. The bowl has some kind of yellowish curry broth with possible pieces of some kind of meat in it while the cup has some kind of greenish swamp water that is swimming with bacteria. She picks both up and walks over to her designated spot in the back of the cage. She takes a sip of the broth inside the bowl and squeezes her eyes and purses her lips at the horrific taste that washes over her palette. She steels herself and continues to sip on it, using the water to rid her mouth of the bad taste every once in a while. After she finishes with both, she leaves them to her side. The only good positive aspect of the disgusting meals they serve is that it doesn't really cause bowel movements so she only has to evacuate them every few days in that sorry excuse of a bathroom; a petty corner of the cell that everyone so nicely designated as the toilet. She glances across everyone one last time before going back to sleep.

/

The next time she wakes up, the sun is high and shining; burning her sensitive eyes. She can feel the rays as they make direct contact with her scarred skin. A guard is yelling at her while aiming a rifle at her, "time to fight!" Two guards are behind him with their guns aimed at her. The front guard grabs the chain connecting her shackles and pulls her to her feet harshly. The shackles pull on her bandaged wrists and chaff the back of her neck, leaving a reddening rash over her dirty skin.

They lead her out of the cage and back into the arena. As she steps into the muddy squared arena, the first thing she notices is her last opponent is gone. There is still a remnant of his blood soaked into the mud her toes are seeping into. A rifle pokes her in the back as she hears, "Hold still!" They carefully remove the shackles from her wrists and neck and the guards retreat hastily with their guns still pointed at her.

She looks around as the crowd gathers around the arena again; cheering, rooting, and holding money out. The Thai man is in the chair again; raised above everyone else as if he is some kind of king or leader. She eyes all of them when a man is tossed into the small ring. The man stands up after regaining his composure and studies the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

She studies him and deduces that he is American and doesn't look like much of a fighter. He is thin with straight brunette hair. He is wearing cargo pants and a cargo vest. He looks like the typical American tourist; all he needs is the ridiculous Safari hat. "Fight!" The Thai man demands. Her fists impulsively clench as she studies her opponent. She would have to guess he was a photographer or journalist by his fearful mannerisms.

"Wait, what?" The man asks stricken with fear as he looks around like he is lost. "I'm, I'm just a reporter!" _Same difference_, the Blonde thinks of what she guessed he was.

"I said fight!" The Thai man demands as the anger rises in his voice. The blonde watches her opponent carefully. "Fight or I kill you both!" The Blonde hears the guns clicking of all the guards as they point their rifles at her and the reporter. The Blonde crooks her head and her neck makes a resounding crack. It isn't that she wants to fight this defenseless American, but she doesn't want to die so she will do what she has to, to survive; not too different from her previous profession.

"Please!" The reporter begs with all his life. "I didn't do anything wrong! You can't do this!" His voice stops immediately as the Blonde lunges forward with a powerful jumping kick to the reporter's jaw. The reporter sinks into the mud in immense pain as the Blonde climbs on top of him and launches punch after punch into the reporter's face.

As each subsequent punch dents into the man's face, blood sprays out and across her expressionless face. The screaming quickly fades after only the third punch. Even after she hears the sickening crack of his nose fracturing, her expression doesn't falter. Her hands are quickly becoming drenched with the man's tears and blood until the Thai man finally speaks up.

"Enough!" The Thai man booms loudly. The Blonde stops and climbs off the barely breathing man below her. She steps to the side and eyes him carefully. His bloodied eyes are both closed and seeping with blood as blood gurgles out of his mouth uncontrollably flowing down the sides of his mouth. "Take her back to the cage!" Once again, four guards enter the ring with their guns aimed at her. They shackle her and toss her back into the cage. She sits in her usual spot in the back of the cage and looks around at all the stares. Again, they fade off her and she decides to get some more sleep as there is nothing to do.

/

Her eyes shoot open when she hears a commotion outside of the cage. She eyes the unfamiliar Thai man being forced into the cage. He pushes back as he yells at them. One of the guards hits him in the stomach with the butt of his rifle and the man crumples over holding his stomach in pain. They lock the cage back up and the man slowly looks around as the initial pain wears away. "Where am I?" He asks worriedly.

"Hell," the one-eyed fighter laughs maniacally.

"Seriously!" The new prisoner demands angrily.

"It really is hell," one of the women slaves speaks up quietly as if she is scared to talk. "They're gonna make you fight for your life with no hope of getting out of here."

"That's bullshit!" The new prisoner spats.

"Nope, she's been here for almost two years now," the woman points to the Blonde.

"You're American?" The new prisoner asks curiously as he sees the blonde hair parting just enough to see a single blue eye watching him intently.

"Yes she is," the woman slave answers for the Blonde.

"Does she not talk?"

"I've never heard her speak a single word," the woman shrugs.

"What's your deal?" The man cautiously approaches the Blonde.

"That's not a good idea," the woman warns.

"Why not?"

"She isn't exactly friendly."

"She doesn't have to be. As long as she serves my need," he grins suggestively as his hands move to his belt. The man looks over her long tan legs, trying to gawk at her lithe toned body; possibly trying to peek down her pant leg. The Blonde's single exposed eye darts to his face and studies him carefully.

"You're asking to be killed. She's the best fighter here."

"That's crap. She's just some pitiful American slut who's ready for a good fuck," the man says smugly as he steps closer to the Blonde and unzips his pants; now only three feet away from the Blonde.

"It's your funeral," the one-eyed fighter laughs as the man slowly approaches the Blonde. His hand reaches for her knee. He stares into the single eye of the Blonde as it gives him a death stare that causes shivers down his back. He shakes it off and places his hand on her knee.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he says in a soft voice to egg her into believing him as his fingers make contact with her thigh. Her leg instantly kicks out, hyperextending his left leg; tearing all three ligaments at the same time. The man screams in pain as he falls to the ground and holds his knee. The Blonde's other leg guillotine's down on his neck but she stops it millimeters from breaking his trachea and suffocating him to death.

"We lost another one!" The one-eyed fighter informs the guards with a loud laugh. The Blonde retracts her legs back to her chest while the man retreats fearfully letting his dangling leg drag along the ground. The Blonde watches one last time before falling back asleep.

/

"Wake up!" She wakes to a gun hitting her across the face. It digs into her skin as it forces her head to twist. She looks up at the guard expressionless as he grabs the chain and pulls her to her feet; chaffing her neck once again. "We have a challenge for you," the guard laughs as he drags her out of the cage and into the arena where her opponent is waiting.

Her feet hit the muddy, dirty, bloody, filth of the ground. Her opponent is not wearing a shirt and she can tell he is chiseled and toned. He looks like he can hold his own in a fight with the few scars on his body and seems fairly confident in himself. The shackle around her neck is removed along with the wrist shackles. She eyes her opponent up and down; trying to learn everything she can about him before having to fight him.

"Fight!" The Thai man that sits atop the chair yells. The Blonde's opponent instantly attacks with a high kick. She ducks under it and tackles him to the ground and elbows him in the face. He kicks her off of him and they both set up in a standing pose. She narrows her eyes as she studies her opponent for any blaring weaknesses.

The man attacks again with a punch towards her face. She dodges it and kicks him in the stomach. He lurches back from the force, but holds onto her leg. He tosses her by her leg into the wall. She grunts as she hits the wooden planks hard and the numerous splinters pierce her skin around her scapulae, but she quickly recovers and tilts her head just in time to dodge a punch that cracks into the plank centimeters from her head.

She takes advantage of his hand next to her head by kneeing him in the stomach. She follows the knee with a back kick that pushes her opponent to the opposite side of the ring. He quickly regains his composure and starts throwing punches. She blocks each one using her hands and forearm pads as she slowly gets backed into a corner.

The opponent tries to take advantage of her cornered position by trying a knee. She blocks it with both hands and pushes herself up. She uses her bare feet against the planks as a springboard; the splinters of the plank slice into her skin but she barely feels it now. She flies forward with all her momentum and knees her opponent in the face. He falls heavily on his back, his head splashing into the mud and his hands grabbing handfuls of mud. She quickly comes down with a knee to his face, but he rolls out causing her knee to hit mud and sweat.

The man, now covered in mud and grime, throws the mud at her and she rotates her upper body with her forearm as a shield to block the mud. Specks of mud hit her lips and seeps into her mouth along with hitting her forehead. She's not going to fall for that trick ever again. She will always have that emasculating scar just above her lip and to the left of her nose because of that cheap shot move. The mud has a disgusting taste that would make any normal person evacuate their stomachs through their mouths, but she lives on this now and doesn't even cringe.

Anger fills in her because of the cheap shoddy tactic of throwing mud and her vision starts turning red. She flings the mud off her forearm and goes on the offensive. She throws a flurry of punches that her opponent just can't block. He falls to his knees after the last punch hammers him in the stomach and knocks him into the planks behind him. The splinters all pierce his skin as he slides down to his knees. She takes a step back and launches a powerful roundhouse kick to the man's jaw. As the strike hits, his jaw makes a sickening crack as it comes off its hinges and blood sprays from his mouth across the wall to her left. Her opponent falls to the ground in defeat; his face drowning in mud.

"Well done," the Thai man claps. "That was one of the top fighters and you squashed him like a bug. Maybe you deserve some kind of reward. How 'bout the royal treatment?" The Blonde stands there emotionless as she looks at the man through the parting of her ever growing hair and her vision gradually clears back to normal. She would never want to admit it, but that is exactly what she fights for: the royal treatment; a real meal and a bath. It is a rare offer she has only gotten a few times in her two years of fighting.

**/**

**If you haven't figured it out, the Blonde is Sarah. Chuck will be in this story too so don't give up too soon. There's just gonna be some Sarah badassery first and it is pretty dark at the moment. I hope this appeals to you as I feel it is something different from most stories on the fanfic website.**

**As this is quite gruesome and there will be some nudity, if you want me to write some warnings, let me know in a review.**

**Please review.**


	2. The Royal Treatment

**Thanks for the reviews so far. I'm glad this story has peaked your interests. I will warn you that there is some descriptive nudity but nothing erotic in this chapter. I hope no one is put off by the description of this chapter… whatever that means.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

The Blonde is taken into a tent that has a long table set with a feast of every type of food she can think of along with a large plastic cup of clean water. Her mouth waters as she sees it, but she keeps her expression emotionless. They take her to a watering hole and wash her shackled hands with a bar of soap. She doesn't fight them as they dry her hands with a towel and take her to the table. They sit her down at one side and let her gawk at all the food. The Thai man, who must be the leader or king, sits on the opposite side of the table.

"My dear," he smiles at her welcomingly. "You are my prized possession. Please enjoy whatever you want. After you're done, you will get the private bath." She narrows her eyes while studying him closely. She definitely doesn't like being called a possession. That is how her old life made her feel; just a tool for someone else's gains. "Have I lied to you before? I promise my men won't peek. Now please enjoy," he smiles smugly as if he is in control and knows it as he spreads out his arms as a welcoming to all the food.

She swiftly grabs a turkey leg and tears the meat off with her teeth in a barbaric fashion. She slurps in the large piece of meat and starts chewing for what feels like hours until she can finally swallow it. "Slow down my dear," the man laughs at her. "It's not a race. Take your time." She ignores him and grabs a cup of water and downs it in a matter of seconds. A female slave with shackled hands and feet walks up and refills the Blonde's glass while she hungrily pulls the bowl of white rice to her mouth and quickly pinches globs of white rice into her mouth with the chopsticks. As the slave finishes filling the water, she downs it again, making the slave refill it again.

The Blonde is in absolute bliss as she grabs the already diced mango and drops the succulent fruit into her mouth. She has never been so excited about food since the last time she got this opportunity and it makes her feel quite pathetic that it is the only thing she has to look forward to. Her facial expression never changes no matter how much content is filling her because of the delicious food. She cannot remember the last time she tasted real food and not that curry broth crap they normally feed her.

She then grabs the sautéed steak in front of her and tears off a bite savagely as she grips it with her hands. They don't give her forks or knives because they cannot trust her, so she's left with her hands. She munches on the steak and drinks her purified water in silence as the Thai man watches her intently while he slowly nibbles on his food civilly. He cuts off a piece of his steak and hands it to her. She ignores his offer as she continues to eat. As she feels her stomach filling up, she moves to dessert. She decides to take the pudding-like dish with coconut, Khanom mo kaeng.

As her stomach expands to the max, she feels the lurching feeling of being too full bubble inside her so she stops, no matter how much she doesn't want to. She looks at the Thai man and he catches her gaze. "All done my dear?" He asks and she nods slowly, still straight-faced. "I'll have my men take you to the private bath." One of the guards grabs her chains and yanks her out of her chair. "Easy," the Thai man states as he puts out his hand to stop the guard. "You don't need to force her if she is willing."

"Sorry, sir," the guard mutters quickly as he leads her out of the tent. Once outside, the guard pulls on her chain forcefully; causing the collar to dig into the back of her neck. She doesn't make a single noise as she feels the pain along her neck. She used to whimper and squeeze her eyes shut in a cringe, but she has become so accustomed to it, she doesn't even flinch. "Let's go," he drags her by the chain into a small windowless cabin that is only ten square feet. Her situational awareness tells her that there is a large tub filled with clean water right in the center along with a clean towel and a clean set of similar clothes for her inside the otherwise vacant room. There is also a bar of soap on the wooden floor next to the steel tub.

They walk inside and he pushes her into the corner with his assault rifle. A second guard comes in to make sure she doesn't try anything irrational like escaping. The first guard removes her shackles and steps back while watching her carefully. As they both get to the door, the guard informs her, "You have twenty minutes. The Boss will give you a warning." Both guards step out and close the door, leaving the Blonde to herself.

She eyes the door suspiciously as she reminisces on the first time she was allowed to use the bath. She didn't trust him at all and didn't take advantage of the bath. Her second time she still didn't bathe as she couldn't trust him yet. She finally starts unraveling the bandages around her forearms. After unraveling them, the strands end up bundling into piles along the wooden floor. Her arms have a definitive tan line just below her elbows where her forearm wraps were. Her arms are brushed over with a light brown hair that is a mixture of dirt and lack of personal grooming. She's lucky she's never been a hairy woman, not that women are hairy, but she was luckier than some as she isn't ever allowed to shave or groom in any way.

She then pulls her tank top off to reveal her virtually unscathed bare chest and battered midsection. It is a complete change in color as she hasn't allowed her chest or stomach to tan while wearing her tank top. Her small nipples are circled with small brownish areolas that perfectly complement her ample soft breasts. Her privates are the only areas on her body that haven't been scarred as she has been overly protective and has never been forced into sexual acts like the other women. She again eyes the door intently as she pulls down her shorts, leaving her in just her cotton panties. She gives one last tentative glance at the door before she slides down the panties and slips her feet out. She climbs into the tub quickly.

The water is room temperature, but very soothing to her as she lets her body relax as she sinks into the lukewarm water until it reaches her chin; the mud and grime melting off her body and mixing with the water. She dunks her head for a few seconds as she lets out her breath slowly; oxygen bubbles float out of her mouth to boil at the surface of the water. She watches from underwater as her long flowing hair starts to shine as the grime dissipates and the hair flows like two majestic eels. She picks her head back up as her hair mattes to her head and neck, all the way down over her breasts and to her rib cage. She lays back down as the water sits at her chin; her hair floating lazily along the surface of the water.

She slowly rubs her callous palms, trembling with the unknown feeling of calmness. They glide down to feel her chaffed neck. Her face contorts as she feels the burn of her palms grazing along the red rashes from the collar. Her hands continue down her scarred shoulders. She traces the scars down to her surprisingly silky smooth chest and they softly brush over her tender nipples. She softly pinches the centimeter of protruding skin with her thumb and index finger. She sighs in content at the intimate feeling as she lightly grinds her finger and thumb along the tender darker skin.

She closes her eyes as she lets her hands continue down to her lower abdomen where there are scars from the numerous battles she had. She can feel each abdominal muscle as her hands slide along the contours of her scarred skin. Her hands continue south until she reaches the dark pubic hair that has become unmanageable. She used to always keep it completely shaven or very short, but that was before, before… They won't give her anything sharp enough to shave it, let alone anything at all. How much harm can she do with a disposable razor? If she really wanted to, she could take it apart; that will give her a couple tiny blades she can work with.

A thought of pulling the pubic hairs out flashes through her mind, but she relents because there is no point in harming herself for something that is never going to be seen again and only slightly itches at random times. It's not like she needs to keep appearances for anyone, not since Bryce years ago. Bryce? The name seems so foreign to her now. She wonders if he just forgot about her or is still fighting for his life to find her. She shakes off the name knowing it no longer exists to her.

She digs her hand into her black pubic hair, letting her fingers drown in the lengthy wet fur. She slides her hand through it until her fingers reach the front of her vagina. She slowly and gently slides her finger between the lips, parting them ever so slightly. Her middle finger slips in and she feels an odd sensation she hasn't really felt in years. She doesn't know how to place it. Is it pleasure? Ecstasy? She cannot even remember what an orgasm feels like. She decides against going deeper inside so she slides her hands down the inside of her thighs; letting her fingers trace every reminding scar on her legs down to her ankles. After letting her hands roam her body freely, she remembers she only has so much time until they come in and kick her out.

She reaches out of the tub and grabs the bar of soap. She dips it in the water and stands up. She starts scrubbing her body gently, starting with her long hair; the remaining grime and sweat sliding off her hair and body as she cleans. She continues to clean herself as she hears the guards talking outside. "Who is she?" The younger guard asks.

"Don't know. Some kind of American spy, I think, but it's all rumors really," the older guard responds nonchalantly.

"Spy? Really? She looks like a normal girl to me."

"Yea, I remember the first person to make that mistake," the older guard lets out a loud chuckle.

"He tried to rape her?" Humor fills the younger guard's tone as he scoffs.

"Tried and failed. He's now buried six feet under. I wasn't there but the rumor is she literally tore his 'you know what' off and shoved it down his throat."

"Eww…" the younger guard says with utter disgust.

"Yea, what a way to go. But then again, it's all rumors."

The Blonde glides the bar of soap down her chest and around her abdomen. She scrubs against the scars forcibly, almost begging them to rub off but they never do. Tears form in her eyes as she starts to chaff from scrubbing so hard; the soap molding around her fingers as she grips it tightly. Her expression still shows no despondence or sadness throughout.

"I remember when she first tried to escape," the older guard chuckles as if it is just a funny story that people talk about in passing.

"What happened?" The younger guard's voice rises in curiosity.

"She took out six guards. It was brutal really. Killed two men with her bare hands."

"Damn…" the younger guard drawls in surprise.

"Yea, then killed another two with one of their knives."

"How did they stop her?" The younger guard is now enthralled and absolutely curious.

"You know that circular scar on the back of her calf?"

"Yea."

The blonde reaches down to behind her left calf and feels the nearly two-year-old scar that will always remind her of the pain she went through.

"One of the guards finally shot her as she was running away. It was pretty gruesome getting that thing out of her. It must've hurt like a bitch."

"No anesthetic or anything?" The younger guard asks disbelieving as he can only imagine how much that must've hurt.

"Do we look like a damn medical clinic?" The older guard deadpans.

"No, but damn, that must've really hurt."

The blonde remembers it like it was yesterday. _Yea, that fucking hurt, you assholes,_ she says in her mind. She shakes it off as a tear slips out of her eye and she continues cleaning her thin body of all the filth she can; getting into every crevice she has.

"I'm not even kidding," the older guard states with a short laugh. "She could probably make a shank out of that bar of soap and kill us both."

"Don't give her any ideas."

She knows her time is running out so she makes sure to clean her body to the best of her abilities. After she finishes cleansing every inch of her body, she relaxes in the warm bath water, not wanting to get out and go back to that horrible cage.

"Five minutes, my dear," she hears the Thai Boss knock on the door. "Then we're coming in no matter what."

She squeezes her eyes tightly as she really doesn't want to get out, but knows they will come in and she is not about to give them a show of her completely nude body, even if her pubic bush is large enough to cover her entire vagina and more. She hesitantly stands up, letting the soapy and grimy water drip off her nude body and her hair form to every curve of her shoulders and chest down to her bony ribs. An icy chill breezes over her body, causing her to shiver violently and her teeth to chatter uncontrollably.

She quickly climbs out of the tub and reaches for the towel. She wraps it over her head and dries her hair before letting the towel fall to her shoulders. She huddles closely for warmth as she drapes it over her chest tightly as she crosses her arms over her chest. She dries her body off all the way down to her feet and back up, making sure she is completely devoid of any moisture. When she is satisfied, she slides on the clean clothes, panties first. Then, the black shorts followed by the black tank top. She straightens her top and looks at the door as she hears a knock to give her a ten second notice.

The door opens with the Boss smiling at her with his arms open wide. "Ah, my dear. You're dressed and ready to go." She just watches him intently, keeping herself ready for anything without showing any emotion. "You look good," he motions for the guards to come in. One points their assault rifle at her while the other binds the shackles onto her wrists and neck. "Looks like we're gonna have to get you some new sleeves," he laughs as he sees her bare forearms. She remains stoic as they take her back to the prison cage.

As she is thrown in, they lock the door and she sits down in her usual spot. All eyes glare at her once again. She stares forward in nothing in particular as the gazes slowly fade off her. "Lucky bitch," the one-eyed fighter mumbles. "Gets the royal treatment and all." She resents being called that, but she sees no point in stirring anything. She ignores the envious fighter and doesn't respond as she closes her eyes and let's sleep overtake her. For the first time, she is actually somewhat content with sleeping for once in the muddy, dirty cage.

/

The Blonde wakes up and the sun is at its peak. She can feel the rays cooking her skin like bacon on a skillet. It must be just after noon sometime and they are handing out food. The worst part about getting the luxurious meal has to be going back to eating that horrific curry crap and bacteria-filled water. A close second is the bowel movements the luxury meal causes. Protein and carbohydrates aren't exactly a lightweight meal. The guards leave the bowl of food and a cup of water for her. She walks up, grabs the two, and takes them back to her spot.

The only good thing about this food is that it doesn't give you any bowel movements at all and she only has to go every few days. On a negative side, there aren't any bathrooms or toilets so they pretty much have to squat like a dog and relieve themselves in front of everyone. Then cover it up with some mud or just leave it there. After the feast she had last night, her bowels desperately need some evacuating and she really hates doing it. She's done it in front of everyone before as they have done the same in front of the others, but they always try to steal a glance at her privates; which are so well hidden underneath the unattractive shrubbery around her pubic region.

She glances around her, seeing if anyone is watching her. They all seem focused on their food so she goes to the corner they've designated as the toilet and squats over the ground. She pulls her panties and shorts down just enough to not obstruct the waste from hitting the ground while still blocking the view from any perverted gazes. After a long minute and a half of glancing at everyone to see if they're looking while she evacuates her bowels, she pulls her shorts and panties back up quickly so no one can see anything. She elicited a few glances but they quickly faded back to their food because they've all had to do it so it really isn't a big deal. She goes back to her usual spot and finishes the disgusting food and water.

Because she had slept for so long, she was not tired so she spends her time in her own mind imagining a normal life where she is happy and living with a man that loves her. The man's face never quite materializes, but she knows he is the one. He is sweet, nice, and gentle. He would never hurt a fly and would accept her for all her flaws instead of trying to change her; he would just embrace her for everything she is. She wishes that man was out there for her, but she knows she'll never find him unless she gets out of here somehow and still probably won't find him.

She lets her mind wander to all the different possibilities. She cannot escape the cage as it is a few feet deep into the ground and made with four inch diameter wood every five centimeters apart. They only take the cuffs off when she fights and when she gets the private bath. She has no chance of escaping during a fight as there are armed people surrounding the arena. Her eyes widen as she realizes a blatant opportunity she missed out on. She needs to get another feast and private bath as soon as possible. She has set her mind on it and nothing will deter her.

She sits there patiently for hours as she just waits for her next fight; thinking about possibilities in her escape plan. She doesn't like fighting these people, but knows it is her only means of survival. As the night finally comes, she is forced to eat the horrible food once again. She was hoping for a fight, but has to stay resilient. She cannot give up. After dinner, she goes to sleep, hoping to have a fight the next day.

**/**

**I hope no one was disgusted by the details I went into. Chuck will be coming still. You just need to be patient and no; he is not some super-secret agent that rescues Sarah. So I'm sorry if you expected that, but I will do my best not to make Chuck completely useless. Also, I have no plans for other characters in this story, but you have ideas to bring in characters like Casey or Carina, let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

**Please review.**


	3. Patience is the Key to Paradise

**I'm sorry for my poor choice of words in the author's note at the end of the last chapter. Chuck will not be useless at all. He will save Sarah in a different way than just plainly her escaping. I hope that didn't deter anyone from this story. And, to be honest, I was a bit inebriated when I wrote it so it was supposed to be a joke. For my stupidity, here is the next chapter one day earlier than planned.**

**Does anyone ever get mixed up when reading a story on the site? There are so many amazing stories that I am hard-pressed to remember all the details in the story, but somehow, I usually do. The wonders of the human brain, right? Plus, there are so many that I don't have enough time. I'm trying to catch up on **_**ninjaVanish**_**'s "Chuck vs The Frontier" on my free time, which is an awesome story by the way, but starting 30 chapters back is quite daunting. Anyways… thanks for the reviews so far. They are the motivation to continue this story. I will give you warnings when it starts to get gruesome or explicit for now on as it can be a bit daunting.**

**I do now own Chuck.**

**/**

A pull on her neck wakes her up abruptly as she looks up at a guard pulling her to her feet. "Time to fight Blondie," the guard smirks at her as he leads her out of the cage. She keeps her stoic expression, but hopes this fight is something she will get rewarded for. They bring her into the ring and she feels the mud seep between her toes once again. She looks over to see her opponent, a female? They want her to fight a woman? They have to be joking.

The woman looks completely serious though. She may not be as easy as expected. The Blonde isn't about to screw everything up by being cocky. If she's learned anything from her past lives, it is to never underestimate your adversaries. They undo the Blonde's wrist shackles but leave her neck one on. They start bandaging her forearms and she stands still and lets them wrap her lower arms and knuckles with ease. They are necessary for her plan to escape so she doesn't struggle at all; even though the guards wrapping her arms look terrified and nervous. She gains a small satisfaction from their fearful mentalities. After they finish raveling her arms in the cloth, they undo her neck shackle and step out of the ring.

"Fight!" The Thai Boss yells. The Blonde studies the female opponent. She has black hair and definitely Thai. She looks like she could be skilled in a multiple Thai martial arts techniques. The female opponent narrows her eyes as she studies the Blonde.

"I'm going to kill you," the woman states smugly as her eyes focus on the Blonde. "I'll show them how a real woman fights." With that insult looming in the tension, she attacks the Blonde. The opponent throws a quick punch that the Blonde dodges easily. "You're quick," the opponent smirks evilly, "And pretty. Maybe I'll have to show them what they really want," the opponent's eyes dart to the Blonde's chest and back to her face. The Blonde's face stays completely expressionless the whole time, but in reality, her vision starts to turn red with bloodlust and hatred towards her perverted opponent.

The opponent attacks again with a flurry of punches. The Blonde blocks all of them and the opponent catches her hand on the Blonde's left shoulder. The Blonde's eyes dart to her shoulder as the opponent grips the tank top shoulder strap and pulls. It tears almost immediately causing her to stumble back. The Blonde's shoulder strap dangles over her left breast but the other strap holds her shirt up to keep from revealing anything. "That's more like it," the opponent smirks as the crowd roars with anticipated applause.

_I just got this yesterday_, the Blonde grunts quietly as her anger increases. The Blonde has had enough of this slutty lesbian and decides to end the fight by attacking with a flying kick. The opponent blocks it with her palms and the Blonde lands on her feet with a quick back kick that knocks the opponent back against the wooden planks. The Blonde rushes the opponent and delivers a punch directly to the heart with all her might. The Blonde can feel the opponent's breast crater around her clenched right fist as she continues to push her into the wall; penetrating into the opponent's chest. The opponent lets out a pained gasp from the earthshattering hit.

**Very brief warning for nudity in the next couple paragraphs.**

The Blonde tears the opponent's top clear off to reveal her flat dirty chest. The crowd roars with an even more maniacal applause as they get an unobstructed view of the opponent's dark skinned chest and her tiny chocolate nipples. The Blonde quickly wraps the shirt around the opponent's neck and wrenches back. The opponent claws at the tightening fiber conforming tightly around her neck but cannot escape the chokehold.

The Blonde keeps pulling until the opponent can no longer keep conscious and her hands start to drop to her sides in surrender. The Blonde let's go and the opponent's body drops to her knees. The Blonde grabs her neck and breaks it in one swift turn. A strangled breath escapes the opponent as the sickening crack of her neck echoes over the suddenly silent crowd watching in complete awe. The opponent drops face first into the mud. _That'll teach that lesbian slut,_ the Blonde scoffs as she steps back and looks at the crowd erupting in applause and whistling.

"Well done my dear. One of your best fights," the Boss exclaims giving hope that the Blonde could get the feast again with his chosen words. "Take her back to the cage." The Blonde's hopes are crushed but her facial expression never changes. They shackle her and throw her back into the cage. She sits down in her usual spot and stares off into the distance.

**Slight warning of explicit language in the next conversation.**

"You never lose, do you?" The one-eyed fighter asks. The Blonde flashes a quick glance at him before looking back off into the distance. "Right… you're a mute. What's the point," the fighter rolls his eyes like there is no hope in the world.

"I don't think she's a mute," one of the women speaks up. "I think she just prefers not to talk."

"Then what's the difference?" The fighter says condescendingly as he looks over the woman who just spoke. Being a complete douche, the fighter feels the need to insult the woman with stating, "That's what I thought… Slut."

"Fuck you," the woman retorts with no hesitation.

"You wanna fuck me, huh? I know the Blonde does," he chuckles conceitedly. The Blonde's gaze flickers to him again with a tinge of hate and fury in her eyes. "Don't deny it. You know you want me." The fighter grabs his manhood through his shorts in a perverted manner. The Blonde ignores him and goes back to staring off into the distance. "That's all she needs. A good fuck. I'll have her screaming my name in no time." He laughs smugly.

"More like you screaming because she broke your dick off," the woman laughs louder than the fighter.

"I could take her. I've won plenty of fights. She may be skillful but I can overpower her into submission. Then make her beg for my dick." The fighter snorts arrogantly.

"Stop screwing around," the woman shakes her head in disbelief as she relents on keeping her hard resolve in the pointless conversation.

"I like screwing around with other women," he smirks as he uses her words in a sexual connotation. The woman rolls her eyes and scoffs as she gives up on the douche bag. The Blonde eyes the one-eyed fighter suspiciously before relenting and looking off into the distance for the rest of the night while her knees are hugged to her chest until sleep comes over her once again.

/

She feels her shorts slide down her legs and her eyes fly open instantly to see the one-eyed fighter pinching the ends of her shorts. She glares at him for an instant with pure intent to kill her attacker, before she quickly drops her legs and thrusts her hands on both sides of his neck in a flash; the chain of her shackles catching around the front of his neck. She quickly spins herself so she is behind him. She lifts her knees back up and wrenches backwards as the chain crushes the fighter's throat.

Everyone looks up at the commotion and watch intently, knowing not to interrupt the Blonde. He is about to claw at the chain when she wraps her legs around his elbows and squeezes her thighs together and tightly against his sides in a vice grip. The fighter struggles against her death grip and stranglehold, but to no avail. She is too strong and her technique is too perfect. He tries to pry her tangled feet with the limited motion of his hands, but she keeps hold until there is no fight left in the man.

She continues to choke until she knows he is absolutely dead. _That takes care of that business_, she thinks smugly as she lets him go and his body falls limply to the ground; a red imprint around the neck where the chain was. She pulls her shorts back up and kicks the freshly deceased body out of her way before bringing her legs back to her chest and going back to sleep as if nothing happened.

/

It has been two weeks and the few fights they gave her were extremely easy. She destroyed all of them without obtaining even a scratch. She has been eating that liquid disease each day and hasn't been attacked by some perverted asshole since killing the last one two weeks ago. Nobody wants to have trouble with her because she is so frighteningly deadly. She sits in her usual posture of her knees to her chest in the spot in the back of the cage looking off into the distance as her mind dreams up the same kind of perfect man that is going to save her somehow.

Her thoughts are broken up before her mind can even wander when a guard walks in and grabs her shackles and pulls her up to her feet harshly. "Come with me!" The guard demands as he leads her towards a small cabin. He brings her in and she sees the Boss sitting in a lush chair behind a desk that is definitely clean and expensive; it must've been imported. The Blonde comes to the conclusion that this must be the Boss' office. There is cocaine and stacks of baht (the Thai currency) on the desk. She quickly learns her surroundings as she sees a guard on each side of the desk. She has never been inside here so she checks all possible exits which are only the door she came in through and a tiny square foot window she probably cannot even fit through.

"I'm glad you can join me, my dear," the Boss states with a huge smile. "You see, I bet a lot of money on you winning your next fight. This may be the first time you're an underdog," he laughs loudly at the thought as she has won every fight she's been in. The Blonde just eyes him intently without a single flinch in her stoic expression. "If you can beat this man, I will give you the royal treatment once again. Would you like that?" He asks as if he was talking to a child as he leans in towards the Blonde knowing her answer.

She nods her head slowly as she keeps her gaze on him, not giving away her relief and happiness that she can finally put her escape plan into motion.

"I knew you would. I'll even give you the private bath too. I know you'd like that too, right?"

She nods again without dropping her gaze. _That's perfect_, she thinks.

"So, win the fight tomorrow and you'll get it all once again. Also," he crooks his head as a grin forms on his lips, "try not to kill so many of my fighters in the future."

_You don't need to worry about that,_ she thinks deviously but just nods stoically one last time.

"Great," he drawls happily. "Please take her back to the cage," he informs the guards who lift her to her feet. "Get a good night's sleep tonight. I'll make sure no one disturbs you."

They take her out of the cabin and back to the cage. "Remember, get some sleep or the Boss is gonna be pissed with you," the guard says with a maniacal laugh as he pushes her into the cage with a pat on her ass. She looks back and glares daggers into the guard and he immediately retreats and locks the cage. She relents and sits back in her usual spot. She remembers her plan and her best chance is coming up soon. She is going to need sleep because she's getting the hell out of there tomorrow. She brings her knees to her chest and lets sleep take over her as joyous thoughts of freedom run through her mind.

/

She wakes up as the sun drenches her with warmth. She looks around to see everyone else sleeping. She looks at the sun and concludes it is around eight or nine in the morning by where the sun is in its rotation. She decides to go back to sleep and closes her eyes.

/

The next time she wakes up, it is because the chains are being pulled and the back of her neck chaffs once again. She quickly looks up to see a guard standing over her. He pulls her up, but not as forcibly as usual. "Come on, you have a big fight ahead of you," the guard leads her towards the arena. She is stopped by the Boss who steps up to her.

"My dear, are you ready?" He asks as he pushes the hair out from her eyes. She nods slowly which causes a smile to grow on his face, even though she wants inwardly cringes at the repulsive man's fingers touching part of her body. "Great. Just remember, you win this, you get the feast and bath." He pats her on the back as the guard continues to take her to the arena.

She feels her feet dig into the mud the instant she steps into the arena. She looks across the way at her opponent. He is Thai and only wearing shorts and similar forearm bandages. He is very muscular and has tribal tattoos over the multiple scars on his body. He looks like he can not only hold his own in a fight, but win quite easily. The Thai Boss climbs into his highchair and looks over the Blonde and her opponent. "Looks like we have a good one today! Now, let's see some action… Fight!"

The Blonde's opponent immediately attacks with a roundhouse kick. She ducks under it and tries a leg sweep, but he jumps over it. They both take a fighting stance and slowly spin in a circle until her opponent attacks again. He throws a punch, but she knocks it away with her forearm. She tries her own punch, but he blocks it with his forearm. They exchange punches that all get blocked until she feigns a right hook and throws a left elbow that crashes against his face. He stumbles back as he puts his hand against the wall to regain his composure.

She tries to take advantage with a left kick to the stomach but he catches her by her ankle. She hops once on her right foot and then throws that at him, but he leans back and her foot misses. She falls to the ground on her back and he kicks her in the back of the left thigh. She grunts as she rolls through the mud and back to her feet. The mud drips off her right hand as she eyes her opponent, studying him for any possible weaknesses because he can actually fight quite well and she needs any advantage she can get.

He doesn't give her much time as he throws a flurry of punches at her. She dodges all of them and sees the anger rising in him. _That's his weakness_, she figures out analytically. She dodges every attack until she is backed against the wall. He yells as he rushes towards her with his forearms out. She quickly lets her feet slide from under her and she slips underneath his arms that crash into the planks above her. She quickly kicks her legs outward, causing his legs to widen and he slides down to her level doing the splits on top of her legs.

She punches him with both fists at the same time. They hit him in both eyes and he falls backwards in pain. She slides her legs from under him and launches a double kick into his stomach. She quickly slides her legs underneath herself and launches herself on top of him. She starts punching him repeatedly in the face until he flips her over his head with the help of a knee to her lower abdomen. She quickly rolls along the mud and into a standing fighting stance. He quickly gets up and she feels the blood running down his left eye.

He lets out a feral growl as he goes in for his next attack. He throws a right handed punch, but she blocks it and counters with a right punch to his stomach. He lurches back from the pain. She throws another right punch but he catches her wrist and pulls her towards him as he sticks out his left elbow. The elbow crushes into her sternum and she winces at the pain. He swiftly scratches her right upper arm with his nails. She knees him in the stomach and he releases her arm while tracks of blood form over the scratch wounds.

She grabs his head in anger and she pulls it down while bringing her knee up to smash directly into his forehead. The man lets out a breathily grunt as his body goes limp for a second from the brain-jarring impact. She takes advantage of his stupor as she grips his neck while he is on the ground. He tries a pathetic attempt to remove her forearm but she quickly shrugs off his attempt and chokes him again. She punches him in the stomach while choking him as the life slowly fades from his body and he crumples to the ground. She stands up after seeing him groaning on the ground. She stands by his head and delivers a soccer kick to his cheek. Blood sprays across the ring and onto the planked wall.

She looks up at the Thai Boss through an opening of her hair. He has a victorious smirk on his face. "Looks like we have a winner. You did well, my dear." She nods as she stands there patiently. "Take her to the tent. She deserves it." They shackle her and lead her to the same tent that she had the feast at before. They wash her hands at the watering hole like usual and sit her down at the table that is filled with all kinds of food. A few minutes later, the Boss walks in and sits across from her. "You did great, my dear. I knew you'd win. Now feast," he spreads his arms welcomingly.

She knows she cannot be too full if she is going to escape so she weighs her options. She decides to start with the steak for some protein. She devours a five ounce steak and drinks about six cups of water for hydration. If she has to urinate, she can do it in the bath. She sees the rice with the chopsticks and picks them up. She starts eating when she knocks over her full cup of water; purposely making it look like an accident. "Ugh!" The Boss stands up quickly as the water spreads across the table. Using the spilt water as a distraction, the Blonde quickly slides the chopsticks under her left forearm bandages until they are completely hidden. "It's alright," he sighs with a disarming smile. "It's just water." He motions for the slave to come over. "Can we get her some more water?"

A slave comes by and fills her cup with water. She takes a sip from it as she eats the slices of mango with her fingers. She lets the sweet tangy taste cover her palette. She looks at the feast and decides to have a few strips of chicken breast. "Do you like it, my dear?" The Boss asks as he smiles at her. She nods as she continues munching on the chicken. She knows her stomach is nearing its full capacity so she eats some light pudding for dessert. She eats the pudding slowly with the spoon to let her stomach simmer. After she finishes, she puts the spoon down and sits calmly until the Boss finishes. "All done dear?" He asks with a satisfied smile. She nods once again with her expressionless face. "Good, now guard," he motions for a guard to come over, "take her to the private bath."

"Yes, sir," the guard picks her up out of her seat and leads her into the bath chamber, which is more like a tiny shack. After he gets her in, he undoes her shackles and backs away with his assault rifle aimed on her. "You have twenty minutes as usual. You'll get a five minute warning." She nods as the door closes. They just gave a countdown to their own deaths.

**/**

**I hope nothing was too explicit in this chapter and the warnings helped. I understand this is teetering on the Teen-Mature line but come on… You know I love those reviews more than my own brother… Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn't say that out loud did I? No, I couldn't have. Definitely not me… No sir-ree. Well, at least the reviews don't talk back, right? Only one way to redeem myself:**

**Please review.**


	4. Woman vs Wild

**Third time this week I'm updating. And it isn't even because of an increase in reviews. Aren't I nice? Thanks for the reviews so far. I weigh praise and criticism equally so if you have any stipulations: Big whoop! Wanna fight about it? No, seriously. If you find anything not to your liking, let me know in a review and I'll consider it seriously. I shouldn't say this but even if you want to remain anonymous, that's fine. I will still take the criticism seriously. Flames are frowned upon, like masturbating in an airplane, but still will be tolerated. Sorry for that Hangover quote. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming: There will be some nudity in the beginning along with some gore and violence. It gets a little messy, to say the least. Just the way you like it.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

She quickly unravels her forearm bandages to reveal the chopsticks hidden under her left forearm. She puts them down by the bath and quickly strips her clothes off. She stands completely nude and climbs into the room temperature water. She can see the mud disintegrate off her feet as she looks down at them. She slides in slowly and lets the water soothe her. As it touches the fresh foursome scratch marks on her right upper arm, she winces from the acute stinging but continues going under water until the water rests at her chin.

She dunks her head for a few seconds and watches her hair flow through the surface of the water before coming up for air. She traces the four gashes with her left index finger before doing her mantra of feeling over her entire body from neck to ankles. She once again sighs as her palms glide over her tender nipples and down to her vagina. She digs her hands into her grotesquely long pubic bush and the thought of pulling it out with her hand crosses her mind again. She relents as she knows she's getting out soon and will find her way home no matter what. Nothing can deter her now as her plan has worked perfectly so far. She quickly bathes herself with the bar of soap.

After she is thoroughly cleaned, she decides to check to see if she can even feel pleasure anymore so she slides her fingers into the folds of her vagina. She feels the inside walls and grazes her clit. She closes her eyes and imagines her dream man as someone tall and muscular, but not just some douchebag tool. He likes to cuddle with her and show her how much he loves her. He always makes sure she is happy and loved. "Five minutes!" She hears with some knocking.

_Shit, shit, shit_, she thinks fearfully. She got lost in her fantasy and forgot to get ready. She climbs out of the bath and quickly dries off with the towel. She puts on the clean clothes and grips a chopstick in each hand. She presses her back against the wall right next to the door and waits. After another minute, she hears knocking and, "I'm coming in dear."

She spends the longest ten seconds of her life as she grips the chopsticks tighter. The door opens as the Boss walks into the cabin. His brow furrows at the vacant room when she swings her fist around and into his neck; the chopstick stabbing into the side of his neck. "AUGH!" He screams as she quickly pulls the chopstick out; blood squirting from the wound. The Boss falls to the ground holding onto his bleeding neck. Two guards rush in and she quickly ducks down and comes up with both chopsticks stabbing through the underside of their chins.

The chopsticks penetrate through their mouths and into their skulls, killing them almost instantly. Blood sprays over both of her forearms and a few specks land on her face and chest. They both drop to the floor on top of the Boss who is still struggling to hold in the squirting blood from his neck wound. She quickly rinses her arms and face with the bath water before drying herself off with the towel. She slides the boots off the guard with the smaller feet and slides her feet into the boots. They are a couple inches too large, but she ties them as tight as she can as she needs the protection for her soles.

She grabs one of the assault rifles, both of their sidearm weapons, and both of their combat knives. She puts both handguns behind her back and grabs the clip from the other assault rifle for backup ammo. She grabs her damp towel and wraps it around her waist as it may come in handy later. She's lucky that the sun has finished setting by now or she would be seen in a heartbeat in broad daylight.

The jungles of Thailand are always dark because there isn't much civilization in the area. She stays crouched as she sneaks through the campsite. She sneaks into the tent where all the food is and finds a duffle bag. She fills it with all the least perishable food she can find and then puts the towel inside and sneaks out of the tent. She sees the Boss' cabin and decides to steal his money just in case. She sees a single guard sitting outside the door.

She drops the duffle bag in the dark and sneaks up to the side of the cabin. She peeks over to see the guard in the front. Using her stealthy spy skills, she slides along the cabin wall silently until she is right next to the guard. She muffles his mouth with her left hand as she slices his throat with one of the combat knives. Blood showers out from his neck in a radial pattern away from her. She drags the man back as she hides his body in the dark shadows by the side of the cabin.

She picks up the duffle bag and walks up to the cabin door. It is locked so she sticks the knife in the crease between the door and the frame, and jiggles it until the door pops loose and opens. She swiftly walks in and quietly closes the door. It is vacant inside as she quickly opens up the drawers. She finds cocaine in one and the money in the other. She takes both and stores them in her duffle bag before slipping out of the cabin. She looks up at the night sky and finds the North Star. With the help of the star and everything she can carry, she sneaks off north as she heads for the neutral country of Burma, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

/

After escaping, the Blonde makes her way north. After a mile of traversing the jungle landscape, she comes across a small creek. She follows the creek north until finding the beginning of the creek. The rocks create a foot high cliff with a little tunnel at the bottom of it. The water is coming from an underground well from that tunnel. From her survival training, she learned that the water is safe to drink and doesn't have many bacteria in it if it comes from an underground well, so she cups her hands together and fills them with the well water. She brings it to her mouth quickly before much of the water could seep out of her hands. She chugs the water and gulps it down.

She knows it's not completely sanitary but she needs hydration or she will die in a matter of days. The cool water quenches her throat and thirst as it slides down with ease. She takes about eight handfuls of water until she is finally satisfied. She splashes some water on her face before she decides to cut open the packets of cocaine and dumps them in the creek. She slices each bag with one of the combat knives and dumps out every last grain of cocaine. After spilling out the contents of the last bag, she drops the plastic wrappings into the creek and keeps heading north.

/

As she struggles through the dense jungle, the shrubbery and trees minimize her visibility. She lifts her leg over a fallen tree and as her foot touches the ground, she hears a hissing noise coming from her left. She stops abruptly; frozen in place as she looks to the source of the noise. She sees a King Cobra looking over another fallen tree three feet to her left; the dawning sun brimming over the horizon line is just bright enough to create a soft glow over the snake's shiny scales and the eyes to glimmer.

She immediately asses her situation and recalls everything she knows about the species of snake. She knows they can spit venom about ten feet and if it gets into any open wounds or her mouth or eyes, it could kill her in minutes; the same if it bites her. The snake can launch itself at her quicker than she can retreat, so she needs to slowly; 'almost not moving at all' slowly evacuate its vicinity while unsheathing her knife at the same slow steady speed for safety reasons. As she brings her foot back over the branch so she can retreat, the snake curls as it readies to attack. She continues to slide her knife out until she is tightly gripped around it and it is in free motion. She takes a single step back while keeping her eyes on the snake intently.

The snake launches forward at her at upwards of fifty miles per hour with its fangs protruding first. She swiftly throws her knife at the lunging snake underhand. As her arm reaches its full length, the combat knife soars through the air like a bullet for less than a millisecond until the sharp point stabs into the snake's throat mid-flight, throwing the snake backwards as it slices deeper into its throat. The snake falls to the ground; spraying venom aimlessly as it struggles to survive. The Blonde side steps the snake and uses the other knife to cut the head off. She grabs the rest of the snake and wraps it over her shoulders as she can use it as food later. She cleans off both knives and continues to traverse the unforgiving jungle.

/

She spends the rest of the day navigating north through the daunting jungle, relieving her bowels and bladder, and eating the food in her duffle bag before it perishes. She chews on a steak as the sun starts to hide behind the horizon line. She hasn't slept for over thirty hours. She looks for any kind of shelter and finds a tree with giant leaves that are about five feet long and three feet wide. She cuts off a bunch of the leaves and gathers them.

She finds some branches that can make a type of raised shelter like a tent. She finds the branches and drapes the leaves over them to make a type of igloo. She makes an opening that is just big enough for her to fit into. The tiny shelter is just large enough for her to fit in with her knees bent and her upper body curled inward in the fetal position. She blankets the towel over herself as she rests her head on the duffle bag. Her eyes close almost immediately as she falls into a deep slumber with the lulling sounds of nature surrounding her.

/

She wakes up as the bright sun seeps through the openings in her makeshift shelter and an odd crumpling noise causes her ears to perk up. She blinks sleepily as she looks to her left. She sees a five foot tall sun bear breaking down her shelter; obviously wanting the rotting food in her duffle bag/pillow. In a flash, she pulls out one of the combat knives with her right hand and rotates, coming down on the bear's head with the knife slicing straight down between the eyes. The bear's eyes blink in confusion as blood seeps down the snout. The bear collapses and to the ground and a quick squirt of blood shoots out as she removes the knife.

She slips out of her broken shelter and hangs the towel on her shoulder as she stands up to look into the bag. Everything has gone rotten and it is starting to smell. In only a couple hours, maggots will most likely grow. She empties the contents of the bag and watches as disgusting moldy meat and fruit roll along the ground followed by the stacks of baht money. She puts the money back in. She takes the long snake body in her left hand and her combat knife in her right hand. She filets the snake and starts eating the meat for her breakfast. She doesn't have any way to make fire, so the bear's meat is useless to her without it being cooked first.

She decides to take advantage of the predator in any way so she skins it with her knife. She slices into the lowest point of the stomach and peels back the layer of skin that contains the fur on the outside. As she slices in, blood seeps out but she continues to peel back the hide without penetrating the dermis layer of the skin. She finally peels the entire hide off and it is shaped like a rectangle with four extremities for the limbs. She places it in her bag as it may become useful for her later on. She leaves all the rotten food with the dead bear as she continues to head north.

/

As she treks north, she feels the effects of dehydration and hunger because she hasn't eaten or drunk anything since that creek over a day and a half ago. She knows that she can only live for a couple more days without any water before her body shuts down and she dies. She finds herself in a hairy situation as she sees a rhino beetle larva. She squeezes her eyes shut as she thinks about surviving and how that is the most important thing. She needs protein and the larva has a higher amount than chicken and beef; for its size at least. She lets out a sigh of hesitance as she picks up the lonely larva. She lets out a tiny whimper as she tosses it in her mouth and bites down; pus squirting into the walls of her mouth. The taste is musty and bitter as she chews quickly and swallows the chewed bits in one huge gulp. She gags on the horrific taste as she nearly crumples over; holding her stomach with both hands as she tries her best not to vomit.

After stomaching the grotesque insect larva, she lets out a few breaths and continues on her plan to survive. As night time arrives again, she decides she needs to camp out again so she finds some more of those giant leaves as the forest is filled with the same type of trees and makes another makeshift tent with them. She then blankets the towel around her legs and the bear hide around her torso. Her last thought before falling asleep is that she really hopes she doesn't have to wake up with a bear next to her again.

/

Again, the bright sun blares down on her eyes, waking her up. Her eyes flutter open and she looks left and right to makes sure there is no bear. When she is satisfied, she slides out from under the leaves and wraps the towel up. She tosses the towel in the bag and continues north, no matter how malnourished and dehydrated she is.

/

After a few hours of walking through the blaring sun, her shoulders are starting to slump and the sweat is ringing around her neck and drenching the front of her shirt. She pants with her tongue lazily hanging out as her body just wants to crumple up and die. Her real last resort is to drink her own urine but she really, really doesn't want it to come down to that. Plus, she doesn't have anything to store it in. She knows she has to keep going so she takes a deep breath and continues on.

/

Another hour and she looks up to see the sun at its highest point. She sighs in frustration and tiredness. She doesn't know if she can go on anymore as she stumbles to her knees. She squeezes her eyes shut and winces as she places her palm on the ground to hold herself up. She picks her head back up and struggles back to her feet to continue. She hasn't drunk in almost three days. She can feel each part of her body slowly shutting down as her legs once again get heavy and start to drag. She looks forward as her legs wobble and she starts to fall over. Her eyes widen at the pond of water only ten feet in front of her. She finds renewed life as she hurries to the pond. She drops to her knees and splashes water on her face letting the water flow down her cleavage giving her a soothing relief. She then cups her hands and starts drinking handful after handful; no matter how dirty the water is and could give her diarrhea and diseases.

/

A tall man with curly brown hair decided to take his daily walk through the lush jungles of Thailand in a different direction as he has been doing for the last two weeks. He is quite content with everything at the moment. He just moved with his sister and brother-in-law to help out this medical clinic in Northern Thailand. He isn't much of a doctor but all the patients love him and his sister is grateful for him coming. This is also a great escape from the heartbreak of his ex-girlfriend breaking up with him after he was unceremoniously kicked from Stanford by his then-best friend, Bryce. Said best friend then stole his girlfriend even after he had told him about how he was going to propose once he had enough money for a ring. He shakes the negative thoughts from his head as he gets a new start in this country. He does miss America and his friends like Morgan and the Buy More but he's having fun here. Everyone is so nice and thankful that he is here and they treat everyone so sincerely and with utter respect.

He is enjoying his daily walk as he gets a few hundred feet away from the complex. He may have only lived here for a couple weeks, but he's gotten pretty good with where he is and how to get back. He wanders aimlessly as he slips through a few bushes to see a small little pond. But that isn't what catches his eye. He sees a very tan blonde woman hunched over the pond drinking furiously. Her raggedy and grimy hair is down her lower back all the way to the ground bundled around her calves and boots.

"You know—" He starts with a charming smile but stops immediately as she glares at him deathly with an assault rifle pointed at his face. "Whoa," he puts his hands up in the air in fear. "I'm not here to hurt you."

She studies him intently through the strands of damp hair draped over her face. She can tell he is not a killer by the pure fear in his eyes. He is a tall American with curly brown hair and brown eyes. She keeps the gun aimed at him cautiously. She knows not to let her guard down even if seeing an American gets her hopes of safety up.

"Are, are you American?" He asks with surprise as he gets a glimpse of her face through her grimy matted blonde hair; his hands still raised in the air. Just from the glimpse he is getting through her draped hair, she looks quite attractive to him.

She nods as she keeps the gun aimed at him.

"Um well, we have purified water back at the clinic if you want some," he informs sincerely as he slowly gains his courage back while having a gun pointed at him.

She cannot remember the last time someone was genuinely nice to her. _It must be a trick,_ she tells herself. She studies him further to detect any sign of betrayal in his body language but she cannot find any signs of deceit. She slowly drops the gun back to her hip. She parts the hair to reveal her face and cerulean eyes.

The first thing he notices is how absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and beautiful the woman is. She has the most mesmerizing sapphire eyes and her lips look so soft and luscious, if they weren't so chapped. Her cute little button nose gives her almost an adorable look. "Whoa…" he mumbles inaudibly at the revelation before realizing what an idiot he's being. "I'm uh Chuck—Charles. My name is Charles, but my friends call me Chuck," he puts his hand out for her to shake with a sincere smile after totally befuddling that introduction.

She remains on her knees as she looks at his hand tentatively. She likes his smile, even if she doesn't show it. It is truthful and kind. She can easily read his expressions as being nurturing and helpful.

"Do you have a name?" He smiles at her disarmingly but gets no response. "Not one for words, huh?" He still gets no response so he continues. "If you want to come back to the clinic, I can get you all the purified water and food you could want." He sees a flash of envy in her eyes as her lips part ever so slightly and her tongue gently licks the inside of her lips.

She is desperately hungry and thirsty and his offer is so enticing but she doesn't know if she can trust him. He looks trustworthy and seems very sincere but it could always be a ruse. _At least he is American,_ she thinks optimistically. She slowly gets off her knees and stands up with the duffle bag clutched in her left hand and the assault rifle in her right hand.

"I promise I won't hurt you," he raises two fingers. "Scout's honor."

She narrows her eyes very subtly and he notices it and thinks it is hesitation.

"Fine, I was never actually an Eagle Scout or Boy Scout, for that matter, but I would really like to help you," he flashes a disarming smile at her.

She hesitantly looks him over one last time. His voice isn't strained or higher pitch to imply lying. His posture seems natural and his expressions aren't exaggerated. She walks up to him until she is two feet away from him. She can tell he is not a fighter and is unarmed so she wouldn't have a problem killing him if she had to. She looks into his brown eyes and sees goodness and trust. She almost feels compelled to trust him as all the signs point to it.

When she gets close enough to him, he sees the subtle scar just to the left of her nose and ends on her lip. It isn't that noticeable unless up really close. "What happened?" He impulsively reaches out with concern to feel it.

She retreats back as she grips the assault rifle tightly with both hands.

"Sorry," he shrugs apologetically as he retreats in complete shame. "I didn't mean to startle you at all. Sorry; really. We um also have showers if you want to clean up." He then sees all the scars along her shoulders and arms. His grin drops to a concerned frown.

She can see his gaze studying her scars like she is some kind of grotesque experiment so she pulls the bear hide out of her duffle bag and wraps it over her shoulders to hide her disfigured shoulders.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but notice," he says truthfully with slight remorse. "You don't need to explain anything to me though."

She nods slowly to tell him she understands.

He notices the numerous guns on her person and the two knives sheathed along her waist. "I see you have a lot of guns," he muses with an airy tone. She instinctively grips her assault rifle as she used to that same saying meaning something smug and devious. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just don't really like guns personally. They're kind of scary," he smiles at her as if he has no shame in confessing that. "I'm not going to try to take them from you. You look a little more experienced with a weapon than me. If you'd like to follow me back to the clinic, I can get you some water and food. It's only a few hundred feet or so."

**/**

**Seriously, no animals were harmed in the writing of this story. I swear! Don't call PETA on me, please! I understand it got a little disgusting with the whole eating a bug part. But, I even did research and the larva of that particular bug is edible and has more protein than steak or chicken. I know, research for a completely fictional story. That's how dedicated I am. Plus, sun bears are populated in the Thailand area. Also, if you've ever seen the show "Man Vs. Wild" with super badass ex-British Special Forces, Bear Grylls, you'd understand because he eats bugs on the show to survive and has even drank his own urine so at least be grateful I didn't make Sarah do that last part. Gross… I hope the introduction of Chuck was satisfactory enough. Oh, and get ready for some heavy-duty Charah.**

**Please review.**


	5. Meeting the Family

**Thanks for the reviews. I'm greatly satisfied with your reaction to the introduction of Chuck.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

On their way back, she studies him carefully from his posture to every word that comes out of his mouth.

"So, just a little backstory on me and why I'm here," he explains lightly like it is the easiest thing for him. "My sister and brother-in-law are doctors who decided they wanted to give back to the world so through _Doctors Without Borders_ they got assigned a clinic here and asked me to come along. I hesitated at first, but decided it would be fun and I could possibly help out. I've mostly been dealing with computer stuff," he looks over at her as she is expressionless and seems to just be studying him. "The only downside is that Mom and Dad won't let me play video games," he laughs heartily.

She furrows her brow slightly but otherwise stays stoic. She cannot remember the last time she laughed herself, let alone heard someone laugh so harmlessly. She is so used to the devious smug laughs of the Thai guards and that repulsive boss that she should never have to deal with again.

"I was calling my sis and her boyfriend Mom and Dad," he smiles at her as he explains the joke; thinking she didn't understand it. "Do you know what video games are?"

Her brow furrows just a little deeper.

"You don't know?" He impulsively asks condescendingly as his eyes widen.

Her eyes narrow as she starts to dislike his tone.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound like that," he smiles charmingly and almost like that; she sees the innocent look in his eyes. "They are electronic games that are virtual and you use a controller. They're really cool but my sis doesn't want me to set up my Xbox because it would take up too much power. Even though I told them that there is plenty of power, but no…" he drawls sarcastically as he bobs his head and places his palms away from him. "They don't trust the computer nerd who knows more about electronics than anyone else here."

She goes back to expressionless and studying; not even noticing that he is talking about electricity. She is sure the agency has completely forgotten about her by now and she has no one she would like to contact. That's the beauty of being a spy; having no one to worry about… or care about.

"We're almost at the clinic. You know," he chuckles, "it's kind of hard to hold a conversation when only one person does the talking," he jokes with a giant smile at her.

She just remains completely stoic as she watches his body language for any sign of trickery or deception, but she has yet to see anything but sincerity and innocence.

They make it to the clinic and it is way more advanced than she expected. She expected a few tents, but there is actually a building with two stories and is at least 1500 square feet wide.

He smiles at her, "welcome to my humble abode," as he directs her eyesight with his hand pointing at the building. A few people are walking in and out of the building carrying boxes while a couple people are leisurely resting on lounge chairs. The building is a pale white with a window to almost every room. "We kind of just started so everything is still a bit hectic. We have air conditioning and electricity though. Follow me. I'll take you to the fridge where we have some water and food."

Chuck leads the Blonde inside the building. As she steps in, she feels a wave of cool recycled air. She closes her eyes and lets it brush over her entire body. He looks back to see that she stopped moving and is in a phase of content with the air conditioning. Her expression is no different but her eyes are closed and her head is slightly tilted back. She finally opens her eyes slowly to see him smiling goofily at him. "Feels good, huh? I love that feeling when you first step in like that."

She nods subtly but her straight expression stays the same.

"Come on, it's just around that door," he says sincerely as he walks down the hallway and turns to the right. She is right behind him as she enters the room. She sees two refrigerators with freezers above them next to a counter with a sink, stove and oven. There is a long dining hall of sorts connected to the kitchen with three picnic type tables. He leisurely walks up to the fridge on the right and pulls it open. She watches tentatively as he digs in the fridge for a few seconds before slipping back out. He turns to her with a bottle of purified water. "Here," he happily hands it to her.

She looks at him as her eyes narrow slightly. She cautiously takes the bottle of water and twists off the cap. She takes a tentative sip and slurs it around her mouth to taste it for any contaminants or toxins. Instead of tasting odd, the water tastes like heaven. The clean cold water is fresher than she could've ever dreamed of. It tastes so good that she starts chugging it quickly; the water slipping down the sides of her mouth and down her chin leaving two streaks along her black tank top.

"We have plenty of water," he smiles at her animalistic mannerisms. "If you want, we have doctors here who are trained and can help with the scars," he informs her sincerely with seriousness.

She stops chugging and looks at her right arm. There is scabbing over the four lacerations from the last fighter's nails. She knows that scars will form over time. She turns away from him with embarrassment as she feels like a disgusting and disfigured freak.

"I didn't mean to push," he says humbly as he places his left hand on her right shoulder in a friendly manner. He feels a distinct scar that starts at the front of her shoulder that ends at the back of her scapula.

Her eyes fixate with panic as her body tenses autonomously and she drops the bottle of water. She swiftly grabs his hand and spins it around; twisting his wrist in an unnatural rotation. The bottle of water crashes to the floor and spills out along the floor seeping under her oversized boots.

"Ah!" He shrieks in pain as his face contorts. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm!" He nearly begs as the pain stings unbearably in his wrist.

She sees the hurt and remorse in his eyes and his contorted expression and realizes he was only trying to help and be friendly. She quickly let's go and looks down at the ground shamefully. She didn't mean to hurt him as he has been nothing but nice to him. She just did it out of impulse. Impulse created by two years of constant watching your back and not trusting a single person.

"Jeez," he massages his wrist as he breathes through clenched teeth with slight resentment in his voice. "I wasn't trying to hurt you."

She feels like an even more horrible monster for hurting him when he's only been helping her so she walks over to the fridges and opens the freezer. She finds and pulls out an icepack and hands it to him. He looks at her emotionless face, but sees a very subtle look of remorse in her mesmerizing eyes as she purses her lips very subtly and her eyebrows soften.

He takes the icepack and places it around his wrist. "Thanks," he grins graciously at her. "I'm sorry for startling you."

She nods and picks up the bottle she dropped. She goes back to sipping on the water while holding the bottle with both hands like it is the only thing she cares about at the moment.

"So…" He drawls with his hands in his pockets as if he'd rather not interrupt her zoned in chugging, but feels the need to continue to talk. "Is there a specific type of food you'd like?"

She drops the bottle from her lips instantly as she hears the word 'food' and looks at him. He smiles disarmingly, "go ahead." He points to the fridges. She walks up to the fridge and opens the fridge to see if there is any food. She sees noodles in a green sauce inside a plastic container. She pulls it out and inspects it.

"You have good taste," he laughs and she just stares at him like he is crazy. "My sister made that. She's a great cook." He sees her stare fall back to the pasta and he immediately realizes what she wants to know. "It is linguine pesto pasta with chicken in it. Take it from someone who loves food, it's delicious," he rubs his stomach to further his point.

She pops the top off and is about to pick at it but he stops her by putting his hands out in front of her; careful not to touch her again in fear of getting hurt again. "Wait, don't you want it warm? There's a microwave and I'll get you a fork."

She looks at him and he cautiously takes the container from her hands without touching her with the same fear. Her eyes stay focused on him the entire time as he puts the pasta container in the microwave and types in one minute. He then pulls open a drawer that has silverware and pulls out a fork.

"Here," he happily hands her the fork. She grabs it and studies it like she doesn't know what it is as she hasn't used one in upwards of two years. She finally holds it the right way as the microwave beeps indicating the food is cooked. He pulls out the container and steam evaporates off of it. He places it on the table in the center of the room and pulls out a chair for her.

She looks at him before her eyes dart to the chair and then back to him.

"Sit," he smiles disarmingly as he points to the chair. "Unless you're one of those people who like to stand up when they eat and it just creeps me out," he rambles with an airy tone.

She finds it cute when he rambles nervously, but quickly crushes the thought before it can grow. She hesitantly sits down in the chair and he slides it forward, she feels her body slide closer to the table as he slides the chair in. She tenses and she grips the fork just in case. He slides the container so it sits right in front of her.

He then whispers, "My sister doesn't like me eating out of the container because she says it makes me look like a pig," he laughs as she studies him intently, "but between you and me, she'll never know. I mean, I think I can keep this a secret and you're not exactly talking, so we should be safe. So, go ahead and enjoy as much as you want."

She watches him for a few seconds before she looks down at the steaming pasta. The smell resonates and tickles her smell receptors and she can feel her jaw weighing down with saliva. She takes the fork and stabs a piece of chicken. She slowly puts it in her mouth and chews on it. The taste is like complete bliss as the warm succulent chicken fills her taste buds with deliciousness. Her face stays relatively expressionless but she closes her eyes as she chews the chicken as if she is trying to savor the taste or feeling forever in the recesses of her mind.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiles at her with complete happiness. He has never seen someone so appreciative of food and he is quite jealous that she can enjoy it so much. "I'm gonna go say hi to my sister real quick. I'll be right back, I promise."

Her stoic lips twitch with the remnants of a frown for an instant before she nods her head in understanding.

"Okay, I promise. I'll be back in just a few minutes," he says as he slips out of the door and into the hallway.

She takes each bite slowly savoring the flavors washing over her palette and bouncing around in her mouth like it is the last bite she will ever take. The pasta is soft and slippery while the pesto sauce is fresh and tastes like basil. She is in complete bliss at the delicious food that she cannot remember having ever had anything that could compare to it. She may have just found her new favorite food in the world, save pickles.

/

Chuck's brow is stuck in a constant furrow as he thinks about the Blonde that he found. She is American and looks like she was either beaten on a daily basis or she was born and raised by wolves. She has soft delicate features on her face and eyes that struggle to hide the pain she must have endured. Some of the scars on her body look to be years old while other look to be days old. She is still the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Even with all the trepidations she has, he can honestly state truthfully that she is absolutely gorgeous. He is so deep in thought; he walks right into his sister just outside of the building.

"Ugh," he breathes out as he stumbles back.

"Chuck?" The woman scolds in a condescending tone.

"Sorry El," he smiles sheepishly at the brunette woman. "How is everything going?"

"Fine, I'm really happy you're here. They seem to really like you," she smiles genuinely at him. "So thank you for giving up your life in Burbank for this," she hugs him and gives him a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

"No matter how much of a nerd I am, I'm actually quite enjoying it here," he smiles.

"So, do you have any ideas what you want for your birthday?" Ellie asks curiously with a sly grin on her face.

"You know I don't care. I'm just happy I won't have to deal with meeting all your doctor friends," Chuck grins knowingly as she has thrown a party every year for the last four years to try to get Chuck dating again.

"Come on Chuck," Ellie drawls as she rolls her eyes. "Your birthday is in two days!"

"It's just a number," Chuck relents nonchalantly. "Moving onto things that actually matter," Chuck immediately loses the joking attitude at the narrowed eye look Ellie is giving him. "You won't believe what I found."

"What?" Her brow furrows curiously.

"More like who," he cryptically bobs his head as his eyes widen slightly. She glares at him like she is annoyed and doesn't have all day through her slightly dropped jaw and hooded eyes. "Okay, well, I was walking around a few hundred feet down there," he points to the east, "and I found a little pond. But that wasn't even the crazy thing, there was someone drinking from the pond."

"Who?" Ellie blurts out in curiosity as her ears perk up.

"An American woman. She looks pretty young. Maybe mid 20's," he explains as he stretches his lips and sucks in a sharp breath in despondence. "She's very pretty but in bad shape."

"What do you mean?" Ellie demands as her doctor personality surfaces and makes her feel the need to help anyone she can.

"Well she's either been beaten on a daily basis for years or she had numerous fights against tigers. Her body is riddled with scars. Some look days old while others look years old. I'm leaning towards the former because she has like three guns and two badass knives, and tiger fighting just sounds ridiculous."

"Is she dangerous? She might hurt the other patients," Ellie demands worriedly. Someone with guns isn't exactly who they want here at a medical clinic. Ellie and Devon want to make sure it is a very peaceful environment and a woman with multiple guns could cause fear in some of the other patients.

"I don't know. She looks like she knows how to use a weapon but she mostly just seemed malnourished and thirsty. I don't think she's eaten or drunk in days. She's eating your pasta in the kitchen right now."

"Let's go check up on her. Maybe I can help her," Ellie places her arm on Chuck's back as they walk in to the clinic. "You did the right thing, baby bro." Ellie loves her brother more than anyone else in her life. She pretty much had to raise him when their parents left them when they were young. She is just grateful that he is still there because she still feels the need to protect him as he is the younger sibling.

"Oh!" Chuck just remembers and thinks it is pertinent information to tell Ellie, "She doesn't exactly talk so it might be kind of hard to communicate with her." He sheepishly smiles at Ellie who just smiles back.

"That's alright. Maybe she lost her voice or damaged her larynx."

"Larynx?" He drawls as he tries to figure what that is. "It's the uh… 

"The voice box," Ellie laughs as they walk down the hall. _He will always be a nerd over a doctor_, she thinks.

"That's what I was going to say!" Chuck exclaims as if he would've gotten the 'final jeopardy' question on the show _Jeopardy_ correct.

They turn the corner into the kitchen where the Blonde is sitting at the table eating the pasta. She looks up to see the man and woman standing in the doorway and she freezes. She is in the process of fitting the forkful of food into her mouth and her mouth closes on the fork and she slides it out of her mouth slowly; catching a noodle. The noodle is dangling from the side of her mouth as she slowly slurps it into her slightly apologetic frown as she watches them intently.

A grin starts to form on Chuck's face as he sees the most adorable look he has ever seen. She looks so innocent and remorseful like she was an innocent child who was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "It's alright," he smiles brightly at her. "Go ahead and keep eating. This is my sister."

"Hi," Ellie smiles genuinely as she leans in a little. "I'm Ellie. I'm a doctor. Do you have a name?" Her question is answered with silence as the Blonde slowly continues to eat while watching the two siblings intently.

"Yea, I got the same answer," Chuck jokingly laughs as he walks over to the fridge. He looks at the Blonde and asks, "Do you want some more water?" She nods her head so he disappears behind the fridge door and reappears with three bottles of water. He slides one over to the Blonde and one to Ellie. He then sits down and screws off the cap of his bottle.

Ellie sits down next to Chuck and they both watch the Blonde chewing on the pasta. "I'm glad you like the pasta," Ellie smiles brightly but she finally notices the scar on her face and the scars all over her shoulders and arms. Her smile fades into a curious frown. "What happened to your arms?" She asks with utter concern as she instinctively reaches out to the Blonde's shoulder.

The Blonde flinches back as she pulls out her combat knife from her left sheath and narrows her eyes at the brunette woman.

"Whoa," she raises her hands in fear.

"She didn't mean anything," Chuck quickly states; hoping to calm the Blonde down. "Please, put down the knife. She's a doctor. She only wants to help you."

At hearing the calming plead of the man, the Blonde slowly lowers her knife-clasped hand until she sheaths it while staring at the brunette woman the entire time. His voice just seems so genuine and trustworthy. She goes back to eating the food and drinking the water quietly.

"Um, we have showers if you want to clean up," Chuck says awkwardly as he watches the Blonde eat the pasta as if she has never eaten food before. "Would you like to take a shower?"

She looks at Chuck with a look of longing as if she is trying to remember the last time she took a legitimate shower. She finally nods as the corner of her lips pull up ever so slightly into a tiny, tiny grin that is barely noticeable to the naked eye but Chuck notices it.

He smiles brightly, "Once you're done with the food, I'll show you the showers. Oh!" he turns to Ellie, "do you think she can borrow some clothes?"

"That's fine," Ellie smiles at how well her brother is interacting with this unknown woman.

"Great," Chuck turns back to the Blonde with a large smile. "So, I'll show you the showers and maybe later we can play some Xbox!"

"Chuck," Ellie warns through clenched teeth.

"I know, I know mom," Chuck snorts, "but just this once. Come on…" He pleads as he knits his brow in extra motivation. "I already told you that there is plenty of power."

"Fine," Ellie shakes her head with a grin. "You're such a nerd."

"I know," Chuck grins brightly at Ellie.

The blonde just watches the easy flowing interaction between the two siblings while she eats the food. They seem to really know each other and are able to joke around with each other. She never had that kind of interaction with someone else before. She was an only child and she never really had friends and her closest friend would stab her in the back for a large diamond. She feels envy build inside her as she continues to watch her mysterious saviors.

**/**

**How do you like that? No warnings necessary in this chapter. It is going to be chocked full of slow churning Charah for a while. So be ready for it, or don't. As long as you enjoy it.**

**Please review.**


	6. Superheroines are Also Hygienic

**Thanks for the reviews and alert subscriptions and all that awesomeness. It is great to see how many people are interested in reading my stories. I am not sure why, but some people thought the last chapter was shorter. It was longer than the first three chapters. It probably just seemed shorter because only about an hour passed in the story's timeline. This chapter is nearly 1000 more words so enjoy.**

**There is a warning for nudity in this chapter but not quite as explicit as it has been in the former chapters. If that deters you, use your imagination lol.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

The Blonde follows her male savior, Chuck, through the main hallway and into a door on the left. She can instantly feel the change in temperature and humidity as she sees they are now in a community bathroom. She sees three stalls that house individual showers at the end of the community bathroom along with three individual toilet stalls on the left side. On the right side are three sinks with mirrors above each one.

"So…" Chuck drawls as he bobs on his heels. "This is the bathroom. We have the toilets over there," he points to the left, "sinks over there," he points to his right, "and the showers are straight ahead."

The Blonde looks around to see it is completely empty except for them two. She walks over to the middle shower stall and opens it. There is a small bench at the beginning as she enters the stall. She inspects it and it actually looks quite clean. There isn't any rust around the drain and the shower head looks sturdy. She quickly notices that it doesn't have any type of lock so anyone could barge in when she is the most vulnerable. She realizes there isn't any shampoo or body wash either. She also doesn't have a towel or a change of clothes. She looks back at Chuck with a very subtle pout because of the envy flowing through her to stand under the calming rain of the shower.

He instantly notices her apprehension and grins at her. "Ellie should be here in a few seconds with a towel and clean clothes."

The Blonde nods slowly as she looks at the toilet stalls in fascination. She cannot remember the last time she used an actual toilet. She opens one of the stalls while Chuck watches in awe at how appreciative this woman is with such mundane everyday parts of life. She delicately runs her fingers along the seat and she lightly taps the flush. She looks to her left to see a toilet paper roll against the stall's wall. She gently feels the two-ply paper between her forefinger and thumb. She lightly pulls on it and lets the toilet paper unravel as it starts to layer on the ground. She quickly stops it and rolls it back up. She looks back at Chuck to see his reaction.

Chuck grins as he sees her look at him. Her face may not change expressions, but he can see the remorse in her sapphire eyes. "It's okay," he continues to smile disarmingly. "If you need to go, go ahead."

She wants to go; immensely. She's not about to get shy and embarrassed, and not want to go in front of him. She wants to be able to sit comfortably on the toilet as she hasn't used one in years, but her body is just not ready. She so badly wants to take advantage of having a facility to do her business, but she will have to wait unless she really wants to force it. She lets her fingers glide along the side of the stall as she walks back out.

Ellie walks into the community bathroom to see her brother watching the Blonde as she steps out of the toilet stall. Ellie has her arms out like a forklift holding a complete set of clean clothes from undergarments to a shirt and pants along with a towel, a bar of soap, and a travel size shampoo bottle and conditioner stacked neatly. Ellie smiles subtly as she sees the Blonde walking towards her. "So, I have clothes, a towel, and some shower products," Ellie explains sincerely. "I even snuck in some conditioner," she grins brightly as she walks over to one of the shower stalls. "I'll just put them on the bench right here," Ellie places everything on the small bench inside the middle shower stall.

"Thanks El," Chuck grins at his sister.

"No problem," Ellie smiles brightly as she walks back to the door. "I need to attend to the other patients if you need me." Ellie walks out of the bathroom.

"Well," Chuck nervously bobs on his heels again, "I guess I'll just wait outside then." He says in almost a question as his pitch rises at the end of the statement. He turns to the door when a gentle hand wraps around his right wrist. He feels his hairs rise at her gentle touch as electricity flows through him like an electrical current. He turns around to see the Blonde looking at him and he can see the pleading in her eyes, even if her facial expression doesn't change. Her extremely soft grip is almost bipolar compared to earlier when she nearly broke his wrist in the kitchen.

She doesn't exactly know what compelled her to reach out to this kind man, but she did it and now has to play it cool. _Taking a shower leaves me completely vulnerable for any kind of attack and I don't want to be alone_, she jams that reason into her mind before any others could form. She gently pulls him to the shower next to the one she decided she's going to use. She sits him down and places her hand on his shoulder. He allows her to sit him down as he just gazes at her beauty. Her face alone could make him do whatever she wants.

"You want me to stay?" He asks softly.

She nods as she backs away from him without turning her back to him.

"Don't worry," he grins at her. "I won't go anywhere."

She nods one last time before slipping into her stall and storing her weapons in her duffle bag; leaving Chuck to his own thoughts. Obviously, his thoughts go straight to this enigmatic blonde that he may or may not have taken a fancy to. He knows she is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and has the most mesmerizing blue eyes. He hears her boots clap at the corner of her stall and the shower turn on; his mind wanders to her body and how amazingly toned it must be. He only really got a look at her thin, muscular arms and legs, but her upper chest was fairly exposed by the tank top she was wearing so he can just imagine how perfect her body is.

His eyes widen at how perverted he sounds. She looks like she has been victimized and he is thinking about how attractive and sexy she is? He quickly scolds himself as he shakes his head. Worry flows through him as he wonders if he is any better than whoever did what they did to her. _Am I any better?_

The Blonde, still in her clothes peeks out of her stall to see if Chuck is still there. She sneakily looks around to see him with his head in his hands while still sitting on the bench. She can tell he is annoyed or angry at something and she quickly concludes it must be her. He probably hates her for making him sit there while she takes a shower. Then the fact that she is not talking probably makes it unnecessarily difficult for him. She feels an eccentric pang in her chest that she doesn't even really understand what it could be from, but it hurts. She knows she is being selfish, but she doesn't want to be all alone. She promises herself not too be so needy in the future. She is a grown adult after all and used to be one of the most independent women in the CIA.

She retreats back into her stall and looks at the running water from the shower. The power is strong enough to feel without being as weak as a drizzle or as strong as needles. She quickly sheds her tank top and shorts, leaving her in just the plain panties. She looks down and can see her pubic hair trying to escape the cotton material and she frowns. It looks so ugly to her. She hates how much the hair has grown. She shrugs off the trepidation and slides the panties down to her ankles. She steps out of them and tosses them over the pile of her other clothes that she decided to call 'The Burn Pile' as she never wants to see those clothes again.

She looks down at her nude body to see the multiple scars on her arms and legs. She feels like a Frankenstein with all of the repulsive scars. No one could ever love her now. She never did have a great personality, in her opinion. She was raised a conman and then turned CIA agent. She never had friends and she was only shaped by her father and CIA trainers. She was never known as the funny girl or the sweet girl or the nerdy girl. She used to just blend in with the background and fade from anyone's minds. She's surprised she has even had sex with how boring she is. She knows it was probably just a male complex trait to get another notch on her belt. Bryce was the only one who actually kept interest after months of being together. She has always felt she was so bland and the only thing she had going were her looks and those are now ruined. Her body is riddled with scars and no one could possibly ever want her now.

She shrugs off the depressing thoughts as she steps under the hot streams of the showerhead and closes her eyes. The streams splash against her face and run down her chin to her shoulders, over her robust breasts and down her stomach. It creates such a level of relaxation that her knees get weak and she almost just wants to sit under the shower forever. She feels her blonde hair weigh down as it soaks up the water like a sponge. She tilts her head back and opens her mouth; letting the water pool inside and overflow down the sides of her mouth. She reaches behind her and grasps the tendrils of her Rapunzel-like hair. She slides her hand down to the end of her hair and pulls it around her. She is staring at the golden hair that is so long that it reaches down to her ass.

She never liked her hair being very long. It mostly just got in the way, especially when it is this long. She likes when it stops just below her shoulders. She wishes she had some scissors with her to cut it, but all she has is her combat knives and they aren't sharp enough to cut her hair. She drops the bundles of hair unceremoniously and lets it stick to her backside as she grabs the bottle of shampoo.

The bottle feels so foreign in her hand. She eyes it cautiously as she pops the top off and squeezes out some of the viscous shampoo onto her hand. The thick liquid feels different in her hand. It is slightly gooey but smells like flowers. She puts the bottle down and rubs her hands together before running them down the long length of her hair. She massages her scalp in pleasure as she can feel the shampoo cleaning the grime from her hair.

/

Fifteen minutes later, she finally finishes her shower. She turns the handle and the water comes to an abrupt halt. Chuck's ears perk at the cease of water raining down and he looks up from his phone. _Angry Birds_ can only keep him entertained for so long. Plus, it was just starting to get aggravating because the stupid small red ones couldn't break through the cement walls.

She watches the water drip down her body as she pulls the towel from the stack of clothes and puts it in her hair to dry it. She vigorously rubs her hair until it is dry enough before wrapping the towel around her body. She takes comfort in the soft material as it wicks away the water on her body. She dries herself completely before hanging the towel over the door. Chuck hears the drenched towel smack against the stall door and decides to stand up and wait by the door.

The Blonde stares at the stack of folded clothing contemplatively. She sees the plain white panties and bra laying over the khaki blouse and brown cargo pants. She doesn't really understand why these people are being so nice and helpful. She cannot remember the last time someone was so charitable towards her. Usually it was because someone was trying to get something out of her like sex or information. That, or when she pretended to be poor to make change off people when she was a kid. No one can say no to a homeless child with a pleading smile. She has never been so hospital towards someone before either. She always thought they were weak if they needed help from someone else, but here she is accepting help from others. Maybe she is just weak like all those other people.

She sighs as she tries to bury her feelings. _I am just taking advantage of these foolish people_, she tells herself. Why not accept free charity if it is offered without any catches or stipulations? She picks up the bra and wraps it around her chest. It feels so foreign to her. She hasn't worn one in years. It is barely too large as she doesn't quite have as large a chest as the brunette, Ellie. The Blonde doesn't mind though, because it is a luxury just to wear one. She hooks it and it rests lazily on her chest. The softness of the bra feels amazing against her nipples compared to the uncomfortable tank top that usually caused chaffing. Next are the panties. They actually fit nicely. They are very flexible so it could probably fit multiple sizes but they are clean and comfy; unlike what she is used to wearing.

The pants are also a nice fit. They hang on her hips lowly and comfortably. They are almost the perfect length as they end at her ankles. The blouse fits fine too, but wishes it was a long sleeve shirt. That way her scars would be hidden from the public eye. If she could cover them up then she would only be a freak under the clothes. She puts it on anyways and buttons it up. She is pleasantly surprised when she finds socks within the jumble of clothing. Socks are another camaraderie that she was never given. As she slides the first one on, her toes revel in the plushness and softness. She puts the other one on quickly and wiggles her toes in the socks. Her feet feel like they are standing on clouds.

Sadly, they didn't give her shoes but she is definitely not complaining. Just the socks alone have made it worth it. She slides her feet in the oversized boots and throws her duffle bag of guns, money, and the bear skin on her back and opens the stall door. She crosses her arms to hide the grotesque scars to the best of her ability as she walks out to see Chuck staring at her with widened eyes and a look of enthrallment on his face. She doesn't really get what could be so amazing to him, but he quickly blinks and smiles at her.

"Feeling better?" He grins at her after getting over the amazing sight and wave of aroma from her clean body. "Don't worry about the clothes," he points to the little bench that houses her old grimy clothes. "We'll get them washed," he steps towards them to pick them up but is stopped by a hand on his upper arm.

Again, he feels goose bumps and he involuntarily shivers at the electric touch. He looks back at her with curiosity and she shakes her head.

"You don't want me to wash them?" He asks as he raises an eyebrow.

She nods her head without her expression changing.

"Do you want to just get rid of them then?" Chuck asks as he tries to figure out what she wants. "I mean, they are still wearable."

She shakes her head vigorously to convey how much she hates the clothes because of the memories they hold.

"Okay," Chuck shrugs nonchalantly as he doesn't really care. "Your choice," he grins at her again and she likes his grin. It is pleasant and not forthcoming like he wants something from her. He just seems happy and she likes it. "Maybe we can use them for a bonfire or something?"

Her eyes slightly widen in surprise. That is exactly what she was thinking. It is like he read her mind. She would love to burn them and he just presented the perfect opportunity to do so. She nods as a very, very subtle grin forms on her lips. Chuck even sees a bit of her front two teeth and she looks absolutely gorgeous.

He cannot control his face as he gives her a full-on Bartowski smile at seeing such a magnificent event in his life. If he could just make her smile like that daily, he would be content with his life. He has a new mission: to make her smile on a daily basis. The smile on his face is nearly infectious to her. It makes him look cute and adorable but in a manly way. She doesn't really know how to explain it, but it causes a weird sensation in her stomach that feels like some type of fluttering.

"I think we will do that tomorrow night then. I'll talk with Ellie and Awesome. So…" he grins mischievously as he rubs his hands together contemplatively, "you ready to play some video games?"

She stares at him and can see how happy he gets when he talks about video games. They must be a large part of his life and nothing rivals it. She is actually envious of him for having such passion for something. She has never had any passion or goals or aspirations. It was always one mission at a time so in very loose terms, her job was her passion even if she didn't always like it.

/

"You ready for the video game experience of your life?" He asks with a playful smile as he hits the power button on the Xbox 360. It hums to life as power courses through it and the twenty-six inch television screen lights up with the Xbox logo. She stares at him tentatively from her chair in the middle of the room, but it doesn't deter him. "I haven't played in like ages," he exclaims as he hands her the second player controller and sits in the chair a few feet next to the one she is in. She skeptically takes it and inspects it like an alien artifact she has never seen before. "So, I couldn't bring all my games but I brought the best ones and it is like impossible to find them here. Right now we're playing Halo 3. We can always switch if you get bored."

She watches him curiously as he explains all the controls to her. She has never seen someone so knowledgeable in something she has never really seen in her life. He is so confident and explains everything so easily almost like he does it on a daily basis. She is more intrigued by him then the controls. After he is done explaining everything to her, he grins at her but he can tell she is confused from the blue swirls in her eyes and mistakes it for skepticism and boredom.

"I'm sorry," he bashfully says ashamedly as if he finally realized he is talking to an amazingly gorgeous woman as he averts his gaze from her. _Obviously this girl wouldn't think video games are fun,_ Chuck scolds himself, _she is a gorgeous supermodel-like girl, not Jill._ "I'm probably boring you immensely. If you want to do something else, I'll leave you alone. I'm probably talking your ear off too," he chuckles as he tries to act humorous but it just comes off as painful. It hurts him to say this because he likes this woman more than strangers usually would. She is mysterious, beautiful, and hasn't totally blown him off… yet; but after this video game fiasco, he is sure that she will blow him off now. Well, at least he doesn't think she has but without talking, it is quite hard to figure out. She hasn't walked away yet, so that is a good sign at least.

She can hear the pain in his voice. He is really enjoying himself which astonishes her. She is like a moving tree stump in the way she is acting and he is just enjoying the time together. She actually hurts for him; a feeling she has never experienced in her life and she doesn't like it. She doesn't like feeling hurt or hurting this gentle person who has done nothing but help her.

She actually isn't bored though. She is fully intrigued by everything this man has to say. She feels like he is a man of infinite wisdom which is just ridiculous, but it is how she feels. She likes spending time and learning with him. She honestly doesn't really know what a video game is and it doesn't sound like something she would be interested in at all, but if he wants to show it to her, she damn well will comply and see what he is talking about.

She grips the controller tighter and slides her chair closer to him to show him that she wants to be there. He looks up at her and she gives him a subtle nod and his smile instantly grows bright. She likes that smile a lot. It conveys innocent joy and bliss. "Alright," he says happily, "get ready for some Master Chief action!"

/

After only thirty minutes of playing, the Blonde is falling asleep in her chair as her head nearly bobs around. She is barely able to keep her eyes open as she hasn't gotten much sleep in the last couple days. Every time she finds herself shaking herself awake, she scolds herself for falling asleep. _It must be these damn comfy chairs,_ she blames her tiredness on. She was right about video games. They aren't her thing; not at all. If she remembers right, her score of the last game was ten kills and nineteen deaths. She was good at the shooting part; or at least at getting the first shots but when they don't die from a single burst to the head and then start jumping around while shooting at her, it is frustrating and ridiculous. Then the enemy's would take her head off with a sniper before she could even leave her team's base. Finally, she could never figure out the multiple parts of the numerous levels while everyone else seems to know them like they are their homes. Definitely not something she enjoys.

Luckily for her, Chuck notices her slumping in her chair and smiles at her. "You must be tired. Sorry for not realizing it earlier. We have some cots that are actually more comfortable than you would expect. You wanna check them out?" He asks with complete sincerity.

She nods as fatigue is slapping her in the face and deteriorating her body.

"Let's go," he happily stands up and puts his hand out to help her stand up.

She looks at his hand apprehensively. She hasn't seen chivalry in years and the only time she ever saw it was when someone was expecting something out of her. She looks up into his eyes and can tell he doesn't want anything from her. He's just being his normal sincere self. She finally places her hand in his and she actually feels an odd tingle like a slight electric jolt. She has never felt it before but she kind of enjoys the feeling. It gives her a kind of thrill she has never experienced before.

His hand gently closes around her hand without causing any discomfort. He lightly tugs as she lifts herself to her feet. It was such a simple gesture of niceness yet it felt like so much more to her. It felt like he was saving her from a horrific fate. He smiles gently as she gets to her feet and he releases her hand. She is actually slightly saddened at the loss of touch. She enjoyed his soft hand against hers because he seemed so genuine and unafraid of how horrific she must look with the ugly scars plaguing her body.

She lugs her duffle bag over her back and follows Chuck through the hallway and then to the left. After another hallway, he leads her into a living quarter. There are six twin-size cots laid out symmetrically throughout the room with a couple feet between each and a three foot walkway down the center of the room that splits the room perfectly even. He grins at her as he points to the cot in the middle of the far row, "That's my bed." He then points at the one opposite of the foot of the bed, "that's Ellie's," and then the one directly next to Ellie's in the far corner, "that's Awesome's but they usually sleep in the same bed." He looks back at her, "you get your choice of these three."

She looks over all three cots. She has already chosen. It was a very easy decision, but she decides to inspect the beds quickly before residing on the one closest to the door, which just happens to be the bed directly next to Chuck's. She puts her bag down and sits on the bed. Chuck watches in content as she runs her hand along the bed sheets as if she has no idea what it is. She sees the pillow and presses her palm into it. As her hand sinks into the white cotton cloud, she revels in the soft material. She cannot believe she is being offered a bed with a comfy mattress, soft bed sheets, and a luscious pillow. They have to want something out of her now. No one is this philanthropic and nice.

"So…" Chuck bobs on his heels as the silence gets too dampening. "Just make yourself at home. Oh!" He realizes as he hurries past her and digs into his bag under his bed. She watches him intently as he digs furiously through his suitcase of clothing. She inconspicuously grips one of the combat knives in case he pulls out a weapon. He finally reemerges with a toothbrush still in its box and a travel size toothpaste. "Here," he places them at the foot of her bed. "There's a private bathroom in the first door on your right."

She nods as she looks over the toothpaste and toothbrush. They are both brand new and haven't been opened yet. They couldn't have been poisoned and he has no reason to. She picks up the toothbrush as she hasn't used one for two years. Her teeth are probably more yellow and deteriorated than a stereotypical British man. She lets her features droop ever so slightly as she feels even more disgusting.

He notices her as she looks down at the ground and he quickly and nervously blurts, "It's not that you need it or anything. I mean your teeth are pretty straight and white but most people like to brush their teeth before they go to sleep. Hey," he chuckles to help squash any sadness she is feeling, "I've gone a few days without brushing my teeth," he shrugs like it is no big deal.

_Try a few years,_ The Blonde thinks to herself.

"I wouldn't recommend it nor would your dentist but come on… I've been brushing my teeth twice daily for the last twenty years and they haven't gotten any whiter." He smiles charmingly.

She looks up at his smile and she sees the glint of his teeth. They are all fairly white and clean and she doesn't even want to know how disgusting her teeth are.

"It's a conspiracy, I tell you!" He jokingly rebels with a chuckle. "All those different types of toothpaste like whitening this and strengthening that, but they never really do anything."

Her frown dissipates almost immediately as her eyebrows rise ever so slightly at seeing him make a fool of himself. She can tell he is so comfortable with himself and how he isn't a super suave ladies' man, but a cute bumbling comic and she envies that. She has been so many people in her life, but she has never just been herself. She doesn't even know who she is anymore.

"I'll leave you to yourself now," he humbly says. "There are more blankets in the closet," he points to the door directly next to the entrance, "if you get cold."

She looks at the closet briefly before nodding and removing her boots.

"Okay," he smiles genuinely, "goodnight and sleep well," he walks out of the room; leaving her to herself.

**/**

**I know Angry Birds technically didn't come out yet in this story, but it fit nicely in my opinion and I don't know what else he would do. Play Pokémon on his Gameboy lol? I understand this story is moving a little slowly, but I want to establish how everything works before jumping ahead too far and leaving you curious what happened between. I guess that has always been one stipulation with me. When it says 'two weeks later,' what happened during those two weeks? Did their lives just unceremoniously go by? Okay… enough with the rambling. It is just deceiving you into thinking this chapter is longer than it is.**

**Please review.**


	7. Nightmares to Propel our Dreams

**Thanks for the reviews and favoriting and subscribing and all that awesome sauce stuff you've been doing to make me feel appreciated. And don't worry, I will not abandon this story. Have I done that yet? Exactly. And for any of you at Comic-Con, I hate you (in a completely jealous way). But still, so not fair.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

As Chuck leaves the mysterious Blonde to herself, he stands just outside the door and lets his mind wander. He is so intrigued by this woman, yet knows nothing about her. He doesn't know her name, he doesn't know what happened to her to cause all the scars, he doesn't even know what her voice sounds like but he can just imagine it being heavenly; like soothing music to his ears. He sighs as he decides to join his sister and her boyfriend for dinner.

The Blonde watches the door cautiously as she grabs the toothpaste and toothbrush and starts for the door. She stops suddenly as she realizes she has no protection on her. How could she have gotten so careless? She doesn't even know these people and they could just be playing her for all she knows. She would be appalled if that actually happened because of how genuine these people seem; especially Chuck. He just seems so kind and helpful. He doesn't want anything out of her. He just wants to make her happy.

She walks back to the cot she is commandeering and opens her duffle bag. She digs in and pulls out a handgun, _too slow_. She drops it and pulls out one of the combat knives in its sheath. She hooks it to her belt loop and makes her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

/

Chuck meets up with his sister and her boyfriend, Devon, at the dining hall. It is nearly empty as they are a brand new clinic so there are maybe two or three patients that are eating at a separate table. Chuck slides onto the bench and smiles at his family. "Hey guys, what's for dinner?"

"Your sister made some gumbo," Devon explains happily with a mouthful as if he is really enjoying himself.

"Let me guess," Chuck grins knowingly. "It's awesome."

"You got that right. Why do you think I agreed to come here?" Devon jokingly grins at Ellie. "It's not like her beautiful brown eyes and tight little as—" Ellie starts to blush before Chuck hastily interrupts Devon.

"I'm gonna stop you right there because I really rather not lose my appetite," Chuck states as he shakes his head slowly.

"No problem," Devon's grin quickly turns conspiratorial. "I heard about some pretty blonde you took in," Devon states with amusement as a knowing grin forms on his lips.

"Um…" Chuck drawls as he doesn't really know what to call it. "Yea…"

"How's everything going with her?" Ellie asks curiously.

"Yea, she's fine. She's sleeping on one of the cots," Chuck shrugs.

"So the shower went alright and the clothes fit?" Ellie asks as a smile creeps up her face on how her brother took this unfortunate woman in and helped her immensely.

"Yea, they fit quite well actually," Chuck grins as he remembers seeing the Blonde glistening with cleanliness and beauty. He looks back down to see her sister grinning like a fool as if she knows a juicy secret that he doesn't. "What?" He asks as he tries to defend himself.

"Nothing," Ellie mumbles with a sly smile.

"Okay…" Chuck raises an eyebrow before continuing. "Well we played some video games for a little while but she was tired. I don't think she had slept much in the last few days."

"I'm so glad you're making her feel at home," Ellie hugs Chuck with pure sibling love.

"Okay," Chuck chokes out from the ever tightening hug. "Enough with the hug of death."

"Fine," Ellie jokingly pouts.

"No hug from my sweet sexy girlfriend?" Devon jokes.

"Do I really need to move to another table?" Chuck asks incredulously as Ellie and Devon laugh.

"Sorry bro," Devon states as he calms down from his fit of laughter. "I'll keep it PG for you."

"Thank you," Chuck jokingly huffs like it took long enough as he slaps the table and stands up to get some food.

/

The Blonde walks into the bathroom Chuck directed her towards to see a small private one. There is a single toilet, a single sink, and a single bath tub that can also be a shower. She inspects it and it looks completely clean and unused. There is no grime anywhere so it is either cleaned daily or rarely ever used. She decides it must be the latter as she sees the mirror above the sink. She closes her eyes as she steps in front of the mirror as if she is afraid to see her own face. She feels the edges of the sink and stands there with trepidation and hesitance. Does she even want to see what she looks like anymore? She is probably a hideous monster now.

She finally lets her lower eyelids fall and she lifts her upper eyelids slowly. She gradually looks up from the sink as her eyes make their way to the mirror to see herself. She is wearing a khaki hunter's shirt with pockets on each breast and buttons dissecting her symmetrically. She continues to look up to see her neckline. It is dark from being in the sun for so long and there is a single scar that runs from the collar bone to midway up her neck. It is not huge or very noticeable but she can see it and will always know it is there.

Her eyes finally rise to see her soft chin and then her chapped lips. Her lips are larger than she remembers and much paler. She opens her mouth in fear of how grotesque her teeth are but is surprised to see them a bit yellow with a layer of plaque but really not as bad as she expected. They are still straight and gleaming, at least. Apparently that food they made her eat doesn't really rot teeth. That may also be due to the fact she has only had sugar about four different occasions in the last two years. She sees the scar that starts at the top of her lip and runs parallel with her nose. She follows it until she reaches her eyes. They are a very vibrant blue. She remembered them being a little less lively before but it is almost like something recently has caused them to light up and reveal their true beauty.

She sees her hairline and all the bustling hair overflowing from it. She parts the hair with her hands and looks at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes are gently shaded with darkness from fatigue and her skin is deeply tanned but her cheeks are very pale. She follows her hair until it reaches past the mirror's length and she frowns. She doesn't like it this long at all. As her eyes drop in despondence, she sees a pair of scissors on the edge of the sink. Her mind flashes with the idea to cut her hair but she doesn't want to offend her caretakers somehow. It is just a pair of scissors and they couldn't possibly fret over a little bit of hair; well a lot of hair but she will clean it up. She promises herself to do so as she takes the scissors into her hand.

Her hand trembles ever so slightly as she handles the scissors. They feel foreign in her hand and she suddenly gets very uneasy with using them to cut her hair. She grabs a few strands and tests the scissors out. She slices the hair at just past shoulder length and watches the hair still connected fall lifelessly down to her shoulder. She looks at the strands of hair tightly gripped in her left hand and drops it into the trash can. _That wasn't so bad;_ she tells herself as she continues cutting.

/

Chuck finishes his gumbo quickly and he has to agree with Devon: it was definitely awesome. The meat was just so succulent mixed with the soft vegetables and the savory taste. He always eats Ellie's cooking so quickly because it is just that amazing. It is almost like he cannot stop until he feels full. After disposing of his bowl in the sink, he decides to check on the Blonde to make sure she is comfortable. He walks right by overlooking the bathroom and he steps into the living quarter. It is empty and his brow furrows as he wonders where she is. He decides she must be in the bathroom unless she ran, but her boots are sitting there.

He backtracks and sees the bathroom door ajar with light shining from inside. He gently knocks as the door slowly opens from his knuckles force. The Blonde quickly flips the scissors and holds them like a dagger as she readies herself for an attack. Chuck sees her in a fighting stance he has only seen in movies like _The Karate Kid_. "Whoa…" He quickly throws his hands up in surrender and she cautiously lowers the scissors. He can see her hair is slightly distraught with one side jaggedly shorter than the other as she has been cutting it herself. "I'm sorry for intruding." He looks down to see sparse golden strands of hair along the sink and floor but most of the hair is in the trash can. "Um, do you need any help?"

She narrows her eyes slightly at him as she reads his expression. She easily concludes that he is once again only trying to be nice and helpful with the gentle clouds of brown inside his irises.

"I'm no barber or anything but it might be easier for me because I'm not rooted in the same place," he smiles charmingly.

Before she knows what came over her, she hands him the scissors and his smile widens. She scolds herself for giving him a weapon he could easily kill her with so she grips her combat knife tightly in her right hand as she stays vigilant to attack at any moment.

Chuck doesn't notice her hand around the handle of her combat knife or the knife itself as he is too intrigued with feeling her golden hair from behind. Sure, it's dry and damaged but it is still gorgeous and lively. The smell is intoxicating and he has to fight the urge to bury his nose in the soft tendrils. He doesn't understand why he is so enthralled by it. Ellie uses the same brand shampoo and he has never had the urge to smell her hair. "So, I'm guessing just below the shoulders?" He asks with an airy tone. "That seems to be the length you've been cutting."

She nods curtly as she keeps her fingers limberly grip the hilt of the combat knife and her body tenses slightly. He starts cutting and she feels her body tense even greater as she can feel the coldness of the scissors graze the back of her neck. It causes her hair to rise but she is in such great control of her body that she doesn't show any signs of anxiety. She watches him through the mirror as he gets so focused on cutting her hair just perfect. She watches as his mouth parts slightly and his tongue presses against his top teeth as he zones in on the scissors and her hair. After cutting the back of her hair, he slowly moves to her side and her right arm twitches as it is completely ready to slit the man's throat if he moves too quickly. She already calculated it and can block the scissors with her left and stab him with her right hand if she has to.

He seems unfazed by her tenseness or just unaware as he continues to cut the hair with the same focused expression and tongue against his teeth. The way he is cutting her hair actually makes her feel kind of like royalty; like a princess. Not like a princess Barbie doll that young girls comb and have odd fetishes with but almost as if she is getting ready for a gala or some formal event.

She watches her hair transform into something manageable and attractive as he finishes off the last strands of her hair. "How's that?" He asks with a subtle grin as he is curious to know her feedback on the first haircut he's ever really done. He has never cut hair before except for that one time back in middle school when he thought it would be cool to do it himself. That didn't turn out so 'cool' and he realized that he should leave it to professionals from then on out.

She nods appreciatively as she looks at him with a very subtle curve upwards with the corners of her mouth. His grin widens almost instantly as he gets her praises.

"Oh! And there's a comb in there if you want it," he opens the mirror which hides a medical cabinet behind it. She instantly recognizes a razor and how badly she would love to get rid of the hair on her body; her arms, her legs, her pubic region. She hates the feeling of furriness along her skin. She stares at the razor with longing before he closes it and smiles at her. "Feel free to use anything you need in there at any time."

She nods again as he kneels underneath the sink to pull out a sweep and a pan. He starts sweeping up the hair on the ground and she frowns. She should be doing that. It was her hair and he was nice enough to cut it for her. She kneels down and takes the pan from him. He looks at her with surprise as she places it down next to the jumble of hair he swept up. He smiles brightly at her as he realizes she is trying to help him. He pushes the hair into the pan and she lifts it to put in the trash can. As they get rid of the final strands of hair, Chuck happily takes the pan from her and stores it under the sink again.

He stands up and really looks at her for the first time since her hair was cut. She looks like a beautiful goddess now that her hair isn't flowing everywhere. She is just breathtakingly gorgeous. Without all the hair, it reveals her mesmerizing blue eyes and gentle face. He smiles in wonder as he is absolutely astounded by her beauty. She can feel his eyes studying her intently so she looks away and turns her head. She knows she is a freak and his staring doesn't help. As she moves, he finally breaks from his trance and offers an apology, "sorry," he mutters embarrassedly as he turns red with a blush.

She sneaks a peek at him through the mirror and sees the flustered look on him. She concludes that he must be embarrassed for staring at her like she is a carnival attraction, even if he is very sweet and nice to her. She finally looks down at the toothpaste and toothbrush she hasn't used yet. He sees her hands reaching for the toothpaste and grins, "You can leave the toothbrush in the holder here," he points to the left corner of the sink that has a few empty holes to hold toothbrushes. "I promise no one will touch it. Well, I guess I'll check up on the other patients if you need anything." He walks out and leaves her to herself and the silence of the bathroom.

/

After the Blonde finishes brushing her teeth, her entire body is absolutely exhausted. She is really enjoying the fresh taste in her mouth and the cool breath the toothpaste is giving her. Her eyelids are heavy with fatigue and her limbs are dragging. She makes her way back into the living quarters to see no one inside. She isn't surprised as it is no later than eight at night. She sits down at her bed and looks at the pillow. She cannot remember the last time she slept with a pillow on an actual mattress. She pulls the blanket down and slides in with all her clothes still on. She definitely isn't taking the socks off and the thought of being in just underwear in front of strangers unnerves her, even if it is technically not her underwear.

She lays her newly trimmed hair against the pillow as her head depresses into the cool soft pillow. Her body sinks into the plushness of the mattress and her body quickly adapts to the comfort. Her body sighs in content as all the stress and pressure dissipates from her limbs. Her mind relaxes and her eyelids start to droop autonomously. She doesn't like the way her body is reacting to the bed and pillow. It unnerves her how comfortable she feels in such a foreign room. She knows it is bad to get too comfortable and she is feeling that exact sensation.

There is just one thing missing. She sits back up and reaches in her bag. She pulls out a handgun and slides it under her pillow. She lies back down and lets her mind run rampant about the events of just the single day. From meeting Chuck to letting him cut her hair. She thinks about the first impression she has gotten from him and she has always been the best at reading people.

Chuck is nice. She can tell that easily. He is also smart and funny. She actually started to feel the unusual sensation of her abdomen clenching as laughter tried escape her because of one of his jokes. From what she could make out, Chuck has no ulterior motive other than to just make her feel comfortable and happy. He hasn't tried to deceive her or make any moves unlike most men she used to meet; mission or not. She doesn't know why but she feels an odd urge to trust him. If she was in anyone else's place, she wouldn't allow herself to be in the vulnerable state of slumber. But with Chuck, he looks absolutely innocent and wouldn't hurt a fly. If she wasn't a trained spy, she may have fallen into trusting him already. She is still sticking to using him although that reason is quickly crumbling. She isn't sure but he seems almost intrigued by her. She just isn't sure if it is because she looks like a freak of nature and he wants to experiment on her or that he is just embarrassedly attracted to her.

She makes a mental note to look into his eyes the next time she sees him as the eyes hold all the answers. She lets her head drown in the cushiony pillow and sleep quickly takes her into its embrace; her eyes restfully closed and her body fully contented for the first time in years.

/

_She awakes easily in a large king size bed with plush sheets and bedding. She is wearing a plain cotton shirt that seems to be a few sizes too large. She can feel the breeze along her legs that informs her that she is wearing just panties. Warmth is radiating from her right side when she realizes she is next to someone; a man. He is sleeping contently as her eyes rest on his subtly raising and dropping chest. Hair protrudes from the warm skin but it is neatly groomed and not unruly. She can tell he is tall; at least six feet in height and very thin. He doesn't have washboard abs but he is 'perfect' to her. She feels an overwhelming sense of security and happiness while being with him. She smiles brightly as she cuddles up to the mesmerizing chest._

"_Good morning gorgeous," the sleepy voice of the man says with an airy happy tone as if his life is perfect at that exact moment. The voice sounds familiar but she cannot place it. It is not low or gruff, but not high-pitched either. It is 'just right' in her opinion._

"_Morning," she murmurs as she squeezes a little tighter around the torso of her bed companion._

"_How'd you sleep?" He asks sincerely as his right hand starts stroking her hair behind her left ear as her right ear is pressed to his warm fuzzy skin._

"_Great," she revels in the feeling and almost wants to tilt her head towards his hand like a dog wanting to be pet, "thanks to you." Her smile grows as she starts to look at the man who has given her all his love and made her life genuinely content._

"_I love you," he declares with pure truth and heart. She has never heard a declaration so truthful before; especially having to do with something as great as love._

_She slowly cocks her head back while replying with as much heart and love she has for this savior, "I love you too…" Her voice trails as she finally sees the face of the man who loves her. "You?" Her eyes widen to saucers and her jaw drops in shock. Her face instantly clouds over with pure hatred as she sees the scourge of her life, the Thai Boss that had imprisoned her for two years and forced her to fight for survival. She retreats backwards so she is no longer against his body, or whoever's body that is. His head looks like it is on the wrong type of body as he was only five and a half feet tall and had a slightly wide girth._

"_No one could love you," he states smugly in his distinctive accent that magically changed from the sweet sensitive calming voice seconds ago. The Thai Boss sits up and starts laughing heartily with a hand on his stomach. "You're a monster and all you're good for is killing. You're just a killer; plain and simple." The Thai man reaches for her shoulder and as his hand rests on her right shoulder, he shakes her gently._

_She quickly grabs it and twists it with all her hatred for the man who's forced her to kill for his pleasure and income. She hears a loud scream but it doesn't sound like the Thai man's voice._

Her eyes dart open to see Chuck on his knees, his right hand in both her hands and twisted unnaturally; palm towards him. His face is filled with pain as he grimaces. She blinks a couple times before realizing what she is doing and she lets go quickly. Chuck quickly retracts his hand and breathes heavily while rubbing it gently to feel for any bruises or signs of fractures. "I'm, I'm sorry," he finally says as he looks away from her. She cannot look him in the eye after the pain she just put him through so she looks to her right. "I think you were having a nightmare. You were kind of kicking around."

She honestly feels like crawling into a hole and dying. He was once again just trying to help her and she nearly broke both his ulna and radius. This is the second time she has hurt him when he has only tried to be sincere and helpful. Maybe she is just a monster. All she seems good for is killing. Maybe the world would be better off without her.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he says with such remorse and apology. She should be the one who is sorry.

His tone draws her in like a pheromone and she turns to look into his eyes. They are swirling with fear and curiosity. She looks deeper to find the truth in his reasons for helping her. She feels an odd attraction to the eyes as they bring her in like an alien spaceship beaming someone up. She feels herself leaning forward and she sees the tiny twinkle in his eyes that answers his motives. He is ready to kiss her with pure passion. She can see it swirling in the chocolate of his pupils. She finally realizes that her lips are mere inches from his and she quickly turns her head; her eyes lagging like a cartoon.

Chuck blinks a couple times as he unknowingly had the same reaction. Her sapphire blue eyes mesmerized him beyond anything he has ever encountered. He has never felt so in tune with someone before as he could read her every emotion swirling inside her; curiosity, remorse, depression, and surprisingly attraction. He felt a deep attraction towards this woman that he only met earlier in the day. He shrugs as a shiver runs down his body and he stands back up. He looks down as her face is aimed away from him. "It's alright," his tone slowly loses its serious tone and becomes airy. "I'll be fine. We're at a medical clinic after all," he smiles brightly.

And just like that, he is joking again. She is astounded by his ability to turn any situation into a funny joke. She wishes her life could be more like that; light and fluffy. She remembers her old friend who would do something similar; although it was usually sexual in nature. The Blonde feels a slight longing for her old friend, Carina. They usually got together every few months between missions but not anymore. Not since she was caught two years ago. She wonders how Carina must feel about the whole situation. Does Carina even know or maybe she thinks she's been blown of or worse… dead.

While her mind reminisces on the scarce positives of her past, she doesn't realize that she is staring straight at Chuck who is now in his cot and looking at the ceiling as if something is unnerving him, which she knows has to be her blank stare. She quickly turns and looks at the ceiling herself. "Ellie and Devon will be here in a second. It's like our bedtime of sorts," he informs her nicely, "I guess. Well," he pauses as he realizes he was just about to start one of his famous rambles, "goodnight then. The alarms are set for nine in the morning."

She can feel his eyes on her and she nods without tearing her gaze from the ceiling. He gets the signal and he gets comfortable in his cot. She lets her tired eyes close again and sleep comes even easier than before, which she didn't think was even possible but it is almost like she has some kind of extra safety cushion that was missing before.

**/**

**Nightmares can be a bitch, to say the least. I may not be able to update quick as quickly as I usually do. I will do my best but I will have little to no time to write the future chapters for a little while. I can only hope this doesn't deter you to forget the story. I will hopefully still be able to update the chapters that I have already finished. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I'm going to be realistic and not make you anxiously await the next chapter thinking it should come any moment. It's probably not the nest to say this now, with my beginning Author's note and all, but I still promise I won't abandon this story. I'm sorry in advance.**

**Please review.**


	8. Comic Books and Chapstick

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They are an inspiration to continuing this story.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

A ringing instantly stirs the Blonde awake and her eyes shoot open to see Chuck trying his best to deflect the sounds of the alarm so he can continue to sleep. "Turn it off!" He groans as he buries his face into his pillow.

"You say that every day, Chuckster," Devon states with humor.

"That's because I'm too young to wake up this early," Chuck replies with another groggy groan. "I demand my own room without an alarm clock!"

"Stop whining, Chuck," Ellie states with the same comical tone as Devon.

"I'm gonna make a protein shake and then go for a run. You want to join me, Chuckster?" Devon asks.

"Have I ever said yes?" Chuck chides with his face in his pillow. "No thanks, Awesome," Chuck sleepily sits up and slowly opens his eyes when he sees the Blonde staring at him. He completely forgot she was right next to him. "Hi," he smiles at her. "Good morning."

The Blonde blinks her eyes at him before lifting her head off the pillow ready to wake up for the day.

"Oh, um you can go back to sleep if you want," he smiles charmingly at her. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. Ellie," he looks over to his sister, "I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when the sun hits its peak." Chuck instantly plops his head back onto the pillow and pulls his blanket over his head.

"Oh no you don't," Ellie pulls the blanket clean off of Chuck. Chuck shivers from the instant loss of warmth and groans in annoyance. Ellie turns to the Blonde with a polite smile, "you can sleep as long as you'd like."

The Blonde nods before resting her head back onto the pillow. She cannot remember the last time she has slept so comfortably. She feels like she can sleep for days and never wants to get out. She gives one last glance at Chuck as he is sitting up before she closes her eyes to fall back asleep.

"Lucky," Chuck jokingly states as he stands to his feet in a long groggy groan.

/

The Blonde wakes up completely refreshed. This is the first time her body isn't stiff or sore from an unforgiving earth that she is used to sleeping on. She can definitely get used to sleeping in the cot but she has never been one for wasting her whole day in bed. She looks around to see the room empty of anyone but her. She sits up and slides her feet into the oversized boots while standing up and straightening her shirt. She lifts her arms and extends her fingertips to the sky as she stretches in a quiet yawn.

She trudges in the large boots until she finds her way into the kitchen and sees everyone eating. She doesn't want to intrude on all of them but she can feel her stomach growling in anger for not feeding it. She has no idea what time it is other than being bright and sunny out. Chuck instantly sees her and stands up. He jogs over to her with a smile, "hey. Just in time for lunch."

_Lunch?_ She is surprised she slept that long. She has never in her life slept that long. Even after missions where she was forced to stay awake for upwards of forty-eight hours straight. She gauges her sleep as approximately seventeen hours long.

"We're having corned beef sandwiches with potato chips," he leads her over to a counter where there is bread, meat, condiments, and three bags of chips.

Her eyes slightly widen at the sight of sliced pickles. Her mouth almost instantly waters as she has never craved them so much in her life. _I hope they don't mind if I just take the jar,_ she humorously thinks as she knows she is at least going to load her sandwich with them.

"We got Barbeque, sour cream and onion, and if you're feeling dangerous, original," he smiles brightly at the joke about the flavors of chips. "Feel free to eat as much as you want. As a matter of fact, I think I'll be having seconds." He grabs a paper plate from the stack and hands it to her. She accepts it and he grabs another for himself.

She looks over the spread until her eyes rest on Chuck expertly making a sandwich for himself. He pulls two slices of the rye bread and packs it with nearly half a pound of meat before spreading on a little mustard to top off the sandwich. She decides to follow suit and starts making her own sandwich.

/

She sits down next to Chuck where Ellie and Devon are both sitting down eating. She listens to their entire conversation and soaking in all the information.

"Have any ideas for your birthday yet?" Ellie asks Chuck.

"That's tomorrow, right bro?" Devon asks Chuck before he can answer Ellie.

"Yea," Chuck nods nonchalantly.

"So you have any plans? Want anything special?" Devon pats Chuck on the back with a devious grin. The Blonde watches as Chuck nearly chokes on his food and resolves that Devon must not know his own strength. He is very muscular and charming, but not in a conceited sense. He almost acts like he doesn't realize how toned and handsome he really is.

"I already told you guys, it's nothing special. It is just like any other day," Chuck explains as he tries to douse the flames of their ideas before they can burn through the entire forest.

"Chuck…" Ellie drawls in an annoyed warning tone. "You should be excited!"

"I am," Chuck relents but isn't very convincing in his sigh.

"You don't sound too excited," Ellie glares at him slightly menacingly. Chuck sighs as he really doesn't feel like talking about it because all it really means to him is that he is getting older and still not making a huge difference with his life. "You miss Morgan, huh?" Ellie state more than questions.

The Blonde wonders who this Morgan character is. He must be a close friend or girlfriend.

"I do miss him," Chuck sighs, "but he likes it at the Buy More."

The Blonde scratches out the girlfriend possibility unless he is a boyfriend but Chuck doesn't give off a homosexual vibe.

"He's your oldest friend," Ellie states in a knowing tone. "Maybe he'll call tomorrow and wish you happy birthday."

"That would be nice," Chuck smiles faintly at Ellie.

/

Ellie is roaming the medical ward of the clinic to make sure none of the patients are in any discomfort. Since the clinic is fairly brand new, there are only four patients that are bedridden. Jun, the first patient of the row of four has Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease that causes fever, rashes, and severe joint pain. Another patient, Mali, she has Schistosomiasis, a flatworm that causes urinary and intestinal diseases that she acquired from drinking contaminated water. Both of the patients are restfully sleeping along with the other two with more minor diseases, so Ellie makes her way outside to see Devon trying to help Chuck exercise, but Devon looks impatient and Chuck looks frustrated.

Ellie's eyes scan over the empty field just before the giant trees of the lush jungle. Her eyes finally fall on the mysterious Blonde staring off towards the distance behind the two men. Ellie knows that Chuck likes her; more than just as mutual friends. But she knows that Chuck would never say anything because he is too shy and possibly still hurting from Jill. There is also the fact that this is another woman who may be able to listen to her problems as Devon isn't quite awesome at listening.

The Blonde is inconspicuously watching the man who has captured her attention, Chuck. The tall, lanky nerd has somehow heart warmed her in just a day. Last night when they locked eyes after her nightmare and nearly breaking his forearm was just exhilarating. Her heart starts beating faster just thinking about it. She squeezes her eyes shut as she cannot believe how her mind is churning. Yes, she likes Chuck, but she doesn't get why. He's handsome in a cute adorable way but definitely not the most handsome person she has ever met. Bryce was definitely more classically handsome and there have been plenty of people she has met who were more handsome than Chuck but no one has made her feel like this. _It doesn't matter anyways_, she tells herself. Soon, she'll go back to America and forget all about him.

Maybe she is attracted to him because of the change in pace from who she usually deals with. He is genuinely nice and has no underlying motives or trying to deceive her in any way. He is safe, so to speak. She doesn't need to watch her back around him like she usually has to with all her former partners. Even with Bryce, she still didn't feel completely safe to drop her shields. Her mind wanders to thoughts of if she was actually dating Chuck and weighing the positives and negatives.

He cannot hurt her; at least not emotionally and most likely not physically. He is cute and funny, which is very lacking in her life. Staring at his thin body is 'very easy' on the eyes. He's not ripped like the blonde-haired man helping him exercise. Chuck isn't self-centered at all. If anything, he is completely selfless. He left his entire life back home for his sister and these patients. _Why am I thinking about this,_ the Blonde scolds herself. _This is not what I should be thinking about. I should be thinking about getting home and informing Graham that I am safe. But where is home?_

Ellie walks up and sits next to the Blonde, stirring her from her turmoil about this curly-haired nerd and getting back to America. The Blonde glances at Ellie, who is smiling charmingly. "Hi," Ellie pipes. "How's everything going?"

The Blonde just nods affirmatively, although she couldn't be more content with getting out of that horrid nightmare of killing to survive and then to be taken in like a stray animal.

"I'm glad you're doing well," Ellie feels her resolve slowly slip and she starts to get nervous. There is just something about this Blonde that changes Ellie. She doesn't know how to place it, but talking to the Blonde is just different somehow. "My brother, Chuck," Ellie pauses as she mentally plays out every possible way to say this, "it's his birthday tomorrow and he doesn't care." Ellie sighs as the Blonde glances back at her with slight curiosity in her eyes. "I don't know what is wrong with him. He just floats on without really trying. I hate not knowing how to help him. I think he's still feeling insecure because of Jill and Bryce."

The Blonde's attention is quickly peaked at hearing the name of her former partner. _It must be a different Bryce_, she tells herself because the odds of it being the same are so low. _But he did talk about a great civilian friend named Chuck. No, it couldn't be the same; just a coincidence that they have the same names. _The Blonde stares at Chuck who looks to be nearing his limit of frustration with working out.

"He likes you, you know?" Ellie states as she also looks upon Chuck.

The Blonde looks down at the ground in contemplation for a second before glancing at Ellie.

"He's just a little shy…" Ellie ponders for a second before continuing. "Especially with someone as gorgeous as you."

The Blonde almost wants to scoff at the compliment. Either this woman is insulting her to her face or truly believes that her scar ridden body is attractive. The Blonde looks over at Ellie to gauge how serious she is, but doesn't see any sarcasm or chiding in the brown orbs of the brunette. The Blonde quickly looks down at the ground again before looking off into the distance with a very faint blush on her cheeks.

Ellie's brow furrows as she tries to understand the muted Blonde. Does she not know how beautiful she is? Ellie tries to think of reasons herself and her most likely conclusion is that she is embarrassed by the scars on her body. "I'm serious," Ellie continues with a serious tone. "You are very beautiful. We can also virtually get rid of all those scars with just some cocoa butter with silicone in it."

The Blonde glances at Ellie again with a slight look of curiosity as it sounds like such a simple task. Ellie notices and grins subtly.

"It's just a topical lotion. You just need to rub it on and the scars will fade in a few weeks."

The Blonde nods to inform that she would like to try this lotion.

"I'll see if we have any here, if not, it is an over-the-counter product so it will be no problem finding it…" Ellie instantly quiets as Chuck decides that exact time to walk over.

"I don't care if I can't do more than thirty pushups," Chuck sighs in frustration as he looks back at Devon; his chest heaving up and down to show he is labored. Chuck finally looks at the two women and smiles through his sheen of sweat on his face. "Hey," he says slightly out of breath, "how're the patients, El?"

"They're fine. They're sleeping at the moment," Ellie replies sincerely.

"Um," Chuck scratches the back of his head nervously as his eyes glance at the Blonde quickly, "I was wondering if we could have a bonfire tonight. We have the fire pit and wood and all that. So, if it isn't a big deal—"

"It's fine," Ellie cuts Chuck's ramble to a dead stop with a knowing grin. "Maybe we can even make some s'mores."

"That would be awesome!" Chuck smiles brightly.

"Hey, that's my line," Devon states jokingly as he appears to Chuck's side. Devon doesn't look like he exerted even a joule of energy while Chuck has a thin collar of sweat on his shirt. "So, what's awesome now?"

"We're gonna have a bonfire tonight and maybe make some s'mores," Chuck explains happily.

"That's outstanding!" Devon exclaims as he raises both hands to double high-five Chuck, who slaps both hands with excitement.

"That means you're gonna have to go into town and pick up some marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate," Ellie informs Chuck.

"That's fine," Chuck nods with a smile. "I'll take the truck."

The Blonde's mind sparks with a thought of taking the truck one night and just driving north until she gets to Myanmar and then to the lone safe-house the CIA has there, but she couldn't do that to these sincere people that are only helping her and other people who need all the help they can get. She may have been forced to be a savage for the last two years, but she still has the decency to be a civilized human being.

/

The Blonde rejected the option to go with Chuck into town. No matter how many times she tries to fool herself, her real reason is because she is embarrassed about how she looks with all the scars. She is still self-conscious about her body and going into town would just make her feel like a freak with all the people who surely would stare at her.

The sun is dropping quickly as night swiftly approaches when Chuck comes back in the truck. The Blonde is sitting on the steps outside the clinic when Chuck steps out of the freshly powered down 1998 green Chevrolet Silverado. Chuck walks around to the truck bed and pulls out three bags of what must be the s'mores ingredients. He walks over towards the entrance and sees the Blonde watching him stoically.

"Hey," he smiles at her. "I got marshmallows, graham crackers, and they even had Hershey's chocolate. It's like perfect for s'mores!" He cheers enthusiastically. "You want a jacket or something?"

The Blonde shakes her head in a negative response. She could use a jacket as the weather is starting to decline under seventy degrees but she doesn't want to burden him.

"Alright," Chuck shrugs as he walks up the steps to enter the clinic. The Blonde follows behind him as she was starting to get bored just sitting there.

She follows Chuck into the kitchen where he starts emptying the contents of the grocery bags on top of the counter. He pulls out the marshmallows first. Then he pulls out the graham crackers next and places them next to the marshmallows. He finally pulls out a bag of chocolate bars and grins sincerely at the Blonde.

"Can you put these in the fridge?" Chuck asks nicely. "We wouldn't want them to melt."

The Blonde nods curtly before taking the bag of Hershey's chocolate bars and places them safely in the fridge.

"Oh yea," he pulls out a tiny container and hands it to her, "chapstick. It is like lip heaven. I don't know how anyone could go without it. It's like as essential as food and water," he jokes happily.

The Blonde looks upon the small cylindrical object. She hasn't seen one in two years, but she is grateful to have it. She quickly pops it out of its packaging and twists the cap. She gently puts a layer along her chapped lips and the uncomfortable burn dissipates immediately. It does feel like sweet relief. She notices that one of the bags isn't empty. It looks as though there are very thin books or newspapers in it.

He notices her eyes on the bag and he smiles. "Comic books," he answers the unasked question. "The patients love reading them and I happily take credit for that. Come on, they're probably bored out of their minds."

She then follows him into the hallway and into the medical ward where the four bed-ridden patients are awake while Ellie and Devon are checking up on them. Everyone looks towards the two new occupants of the room and smile when they see Chuck.

Chuck digs into his bag dramatically to catch everyone's attention. He swiftly pulls out a stack of four separate comic books with a giant smile on his face. "I got comics!" He announces with enthusiasm.

"Yay!" One patient cheers loudly while the others just look content. The one ecstatic patient is a young girl who looks to be in her late teens. She is an attractive teenager with straight black hair and dark brown eyes. The Blonde immediately recognizes the Thai descent in the skin color and facial features.

"Let's see," Chuck ponders in a joyous hum. "We got Captain America—"

"I'll take that!" Jun instantly shouts as it was first created when he was just growing up. Chuck smiles as he hands the comic to the older gentleman.

"Alright, I have my favorite and yours," Chuck grins knowingly at the ecstatic young woman, "Lawan. The Amazing Spider-Man!" Chuck has always loved Spider-Man because it reminds him of himself in a way: Peter Parker being a nerd and Chuck being a nerd. Peter ends up getting the hottest most out-of-his-league girl in school after multiple obstacles, but in the end, he captures Mary Jane's heart while not getting so much as a dollar for saving New York city numerous times. Chuck may still be in the lonely nerd phase, but he's hoping for that special girl he could love for the rest of his life.

"Yes!" Lawan cheers happily as she pulls Chuck into a quick hug before happily accepting the magazine. Lawan is a gorgeous girl in Chuck's opinion, but she is suffering from muscle atrophy because of Diabetes. It breaks Chuck's heart that such an amazing girl is stuck in bed for most of her life. "Thank you Chuck, you're the best!"

"Nope, you're the best," Chuck happily responds with a giant smile.

The Blonde catches a brief glimpse of his smile and it is almost infectious. She can feel the muscles in her cheek pulling her lips upward in a fashion that doesn't come natural to her. How is someone so genuinely nice and sweet? It is just such a refreshing change of pace from her usual cutthroat, serious, deadly life. She looks at the interaction between Chuck and Lawan and can instantly tell the young girl is completely infatuated by Chuck. There may be nearly a ten year difference, but the girl looks like she is in complete adoration for the nerd.

"Hey, Chuck," Lawan catches his attention before he leaves the side of her bed.

"Yea?" He smiles at her as he leans closer to her.

Lawan lowers her voice to a whisper, "Who's that?" She directs him with her eyes towards the Blonde who is standing in the corner with a very subtle frown and looks like there is nothing worthwhile in her life. Lawan's curiosity gets the best of her as she doesn't think someone so beautiful should ever look so depressed. "She's gorgeous."

"Yea," Chuck agrees with a sigh and a big smile. "I don't really know who she is. She doesn't really talk," Chuck whispers back.

"Oh," Lawan's face drops slightly. "Um, can you tell her I said she was pretty?" She asks shyly without looking up at Chuck. Lawan likes to cheer people up because seeing genuine smiles makes her happier.

"Sure," he smiles as if it is no big deal and she shouldn't feel ashamed about it. Chuck steps back to the center of the ward as he lifts the last two comics in the air. "It's a fight to the death between The Caped Crusader and the one and only Iron Man!"

The last patient, Ryan, who has Dengue fever, has always been one for future technology so he aptly asks for, "Iron Man."

"I knew you'd pick that," Chuck chides jokingly as he hands him the comic. "That leaves Batman for you, Mali. This is a good one too. This issue is the beginning of Joker." Chuck hands the comic to Mali. "Remember guys… and girls. After you're done reading your comic, share with your neighbors."

"Obviously," Lawan giggles happily.

"What's that young lady?" Chuck jokingly acts as if he was offended. "Is that some lip you're giving me?"

"No," Lawan tries to act innocent.

Chuck scoffs with joy as Ellie walks up to him. "That was sweet of you, Chuck," Ellie says in an admiring tone.

"It's no big deal. There's a comic book store right next to the market. And they have all the old school comics that are impossible to find in America!" Chuck says overly joyous.

"Nerd!" Lawan shouts jokingly.

"Nerd," Ellie stifles a laugh but maybe comic books is what he would want for his birthday, but Ellie wants to do something more special than buy something he can get whenever he wants.

"And proud of it," Chuck grins widely.

/

"What is it, sir?" An assault-rifle clad guard in a beige military jumpsuit asks in the direction of the back of a tall chair as he enters a cabin with a single desk in the center.

"Any luck finding her?" A raspy voice asks from behind the chair.

"No sir," the guard says with remorse.

"Dammit!" The chair spins to reveal the Thai Boss with a bandage over the right side of his neck. "Find me my damn fighter!" He slams his hand down onto the desk in anger and frustration. Because of the stab wound in his neck, his voice box was damaged and now his voice is permanently hoarse and throaty.

"Yes, sir." The guard says with slight trepidation as he fears the Boss and his outrage. "We'll send out raid teams in multiple directions."

"Good," the Boss says as he slowly calms down.

**/**

**Nobody said it would be easy. Again, I'm sorry for having to take a break. I have the next chapter done so I will be able to update that one too, but that is as far as I've gotten.**

**Please review.**


	9. Bonfires and Birthdays

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They are the most satisfying part about writing this story. I hope you like this chapter. No, I've never been to Thailand so don't judge too harshly on how the weather and other stuff is.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

The fire roars to life as Devon drops a fourth piece of firewood into the fire pit. Everyone is circled around the controlled blaze. Ellie is sitting on a log next to Jun, who is sitting in a wheelchair. Next to Jun is Mali and then Ryan. They all seem amazed by the constantly changing flame in the center. Across from them, the Blonde is sitting on a log fashioned as a type of makeshift bench. Lawan is in a wheelchair just at the end of the log. Devon takes his seat back next to Ellie, who lays her head on his shoulder.

Chuck walks out of the clinic in a black Buy More jacket. He has the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. "Alright," he sighs happily as he sits down next to the Blonde. "I got everything."

"Skewers?" Devon queries.

"Dammit," Chuck bounces his head in shame. Everyone lets out a tiny chuckle as Chuck hurries back into the clinic. He reemerges twenty seconds later with four skewers in his hands. He quickly hands one to Lawan, another to Ellie, and one to the Blonde. The last one he hands to Mali.

Ellie helps Jun with the skewer while Chuck helps Mali with hers. They charbroil the marshmallows with ease and in very little time, they are munching on the delicious campfire treat. Chuck has a goofy smile plastered to his face as he enjoys the treat he hasn't had since he went on a camping trip with his Dad nearly twenty years ago. The s'mores brings back memories of that amazingly fun 'boys only' campout. It always astonished Chuck how his Dad was so good at surviving in the wilderness yet was such a genius with electronics. Chuck wouldn't survive a New York minute in the wilderness, but he can rewire a computer in less than five minutes.

Chuck looks over at everyone's faces to see a smile on their faces. Lawan has a little bit of melted chocolate on the corner of her mouth, but Chuck thinks it just makes her look adorable so he's not going to say anything. The Blonde is the only one who doesn't look as content as everyone. She looks relaxed with her shoulders slumped comfortably and her facial features aren't as tight and stoic and look to be more tranquil. _The clothes!_ Chuck's mind reminds him suddenly.

"I'll be right back," he mumbles as he stands up and hurries into the clinic. He comes out a minute later with a bag of clothing. Everyone's eyes are on him as he sits back down next to the Blonde. He opens the bag wide and shows her the clothes. She pulls out the tank top first. The shoulder strap is still ripped and there is dried dirt and grime plastered to the black fibers. "Go ahead," he smiles brightly as she drapes the tank top over the fire. The area darkens as the material blankets over the flame, but the flame quickly recaptures its light and sucks the tank top into its smoldering blaze.

The Blonde actual feels the urge to smile as happiness bubbles inside her. The feeling is odd, but she can feel an odd airy sensation in her stomach as the tank top disappears into the flame. She then grabs the bag and flips it upside down over the fire. The shorts along with the panties rain down into the flame and become quickly engulfed. The flame rages with utter satisfaction as the clothing ignites.

Chuck watches the Blonde carefully as her lips part and pull up into a thin smile. His eyes widen at how bright and lovely her smile is. Who needs a fire when you have her amazing smile? Chuck gets so lost in the adorable look on her face that he doesn't realize how big his own smile is. In what felt like hours, yet was only seconds, her smile is gone and darkness shrouds over the campfire. Chuck finally feels the muscles in his face begging for a break and he quickly lets his own smile fade.

The Blonde sits back down and crosses her arms. Chuck notices her body language and removes his jacket. He carefully drapes it over her, knowing how quickly she can twist his wrist. To his surprise, she doesn't attack him. She doesn't even flinch. As the jacket's shoulders rest on hers, she gently pulls the jacket over her chest with her arms still crossed. She gazes into his eyes as he sits back down. She gives him a subtle grin as she pulls the jacket tighter and scrunches her shoulders inwardly. He gives her a welcoming smile and nod back to show he understands that she is grateful.

She looks down in wonder at the stitched yellow name 'Chuck' on the left breast of the jacket and the right side with a Buy More logo in green and yellow font. The jacket is surprisingly comfortable and she just enjoys reveling in the plushness. It even has Chuck's distinct smell which makes her feel even more relaxed surprisingly. She relaxes as they all watch the fire slowly crackle and pop and finally start to simmer down without any more fuel to keep the flame ignited.

/

The entire night went much smoother than the first night here. The Blonde is quickly getting more comfortable with the area, people, and situation. Chuck, Ellie, and Devon still seem completely genuine and sincere. They have yet to show any signs of deceiving her. She has actually been able to just hide all her weapons except for a single combat knife she still carries just in case. She is quickly starting to feel more comfortable and relaxed. Sleep was greatly satisfying knowing that she will never have to see those horrible clothes again. Her only sentiment is the pair of boots, but they aren't that reminiscing because she didn't have to wear them for the last two years. Her sleeping schedule is already back to normal as she was able to wake up with everyone else at nine in the morning. Devon went on his daily run while Ellie checked up on the patients. Chuck, on the other hand, decided to eat breakfast. The Blonde joined him in a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. He didn't seem too animated so she concludes that he mustn't be a huge morning person. She's no one to judge though; she isn't exactly a morning person either. Just ask the four alarm clocks that are probably lost in four different piles of trash right now.

After breakfast, he checked up on the patients to make sure they were happy with the comic books and to share a few questions with everyone about the comics. She followed like a mute assistant of sorts because she doesn't know what else to do and she kind of likes how sweet and selfless Chuck is. Everyone seems to love him and almost treat him like a respected king. Somehow, time seemed to fly for her and it was already nearing noon.

"I'm gonna go for a walk, you wanna join me?" He asks her sincerely with that damn charming smile that she enjoys seeing so much. "It's kind of my thing, you know?" He shrugs sheepishly. "I just like to get some air and sometimes you stumble upon something awesome." _Like a gorgeous blonde woman,_ Chuck thinks to himself.

She just nods her head affirmatively. She can always use a little bit of exercise; especially after having about three s'mores last night.

"Cool," his smile only widens as he leads her outside to wander through the massive jungle.

/

Ellie, knowing Chuck's schedule so well, knew that he would be walking for a good thirty minutes to an hour. She couldn't help but smile that the Blonde is keeping him company. She believes he needs it after the devastating heartbreak Jill caused him. He was always fairly confident but it is like Jill just sapped it out of him like a witch and betrayed him for his best friend. _More like a bitch_, Ellie thinks devilishly.

"Alright," Ellie announces to the four bed-ridden patients, "I'm going to lead Chuck in here. When we walk in, we turn on the lights and we all yell 'surprise'!"

"Got it," Lawan enthusiastically acknowledges. She would do anything to make Chuck happy because he makes her so much happier.

"Great!" Ellie pipes cheerily as she watches Devon placing a large banner across the ceiling that reads 'Happy Birthday.'

"How's it look, babe?" Devon asks as he steps down from his ladder.

"It's perfect Devon," Ellie smiles in admiration. She looks to the corner where a cake rests on a counter. It wasn't the easiest thing to find a bakery in Thailand but she found one that was willing to make it and even knew what it was. She cannot wait to surprise Chuck. Her smile grows at the thought.

/

Chuck and the Blonde finish their walk as they enter the clinic to see Ellie standing just inside the entrance. "What's up El?" Chuck asks as she looks slightly anxious about something. Chuck doesn't really notice but the Blonde can easily read that Ellie is excited and anxious.

"Lawan wants to speak with you," Ellie lies successfully.

"Okay," Chuck shrugs as he doesn't see why she would lie about that. "Let me just go to the bathroom real quick."

"Go ahead, we'll be right here," Ellie smiles disarmingly at Chuck as he walks off. "Perfect," Ellie says deviously as she turns to the Blonde. "We're throwing a little surprise party for Chuck in the medical ward. We have a cake and everyone's waiting on him. Just wait until you see the reaction on his face when he sees the cake."

The Blonde purses her lips as she nods enthusiastically. She has quickly learned that she really enjoys seeing Chuck happy and this will definitely make him overjoyed. She has also slowly relaxed and become a little livelier after learning these people's selfless intentions.

"Great, he's gonna get a kick out of this," Ellie says with anticipation as she anxiously waits for Chuck's return. "Oh, and I left a change of clothes and stuff on your bed if you want to shower."

The Blonde nods appreciatively with a very thin grin. A shower does seem nice and she feels like she can trust these people enough to not have someone watching guard.

After just over a minute, Chuck comes back. "Alright, El. What did Lawan want anyways?" Chuck asks innocently, not really thinking too strenuously about it.

"I'm not sure," Ellie does her best to hold back the humor in her tone.

"Okay," Chuck shrugs as Ellie leads them towards the medical ward; the Blonde in tow.

Ellie opens the door and lets Chuck in first to the pitch black room. Chuck's brow furrows immediately as he tries to make out any possible shapes. The Blonde steps in as Ellie closes the door behind them so they are now shrouded in the darkness. "El…?" Chuck's voice trails off as the lights shine brightly in an instant, blinding him for a mere second.

"Surprise!" Everyone cheers loudly. Chuck's eyes widen in shock before a grin starts to form on his lips.

"Happy Birthday!" Lawan ecstatically yells across the room.

"Happy Birthday, Chuck," Ellie says sweetly as she hugs him.

"Wow," is the only thing to come out of Chuck's flabbergasted mouth. He had honestly forgotten it was his birthday, which is surprising with all the reminders Ellie was giving him the last few days. As Ellie releases the hug, Chuck is rocked by a hard pat to his upper back.

"Happy Birthday bro," Devon says happily after materializing out of nowhere.

"Thanks," Chuck coughs out from the jarring hit. "Wow Ellie," Chuck smiles at her. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to," Ellie smiles back as she pushes him towards the center of the room so he can be congratulated by all the patients.

As Chuck gets congratulated by all the patients, Ellie brings the cake around. Chuck gets a glimpse of it and his eyes widen. "No way," he states in disbelief.

"Yes way," Ellie grins knowing how much he can appreciate the cake.

"It's so realistic," he mumbles as he analyzes every angle of the cake. "Are you sure this is a cake? Did you get this from Cake Boss or something?"

"Nope," Ellie's grin increases with pride because of Chuck's reaction. "There was a bakery here that was able to make it."

"Wow," Chuck sighs in complete awe. "A cake shaped like an Xbox 360. I don't know if I want to eat it or play it," he jokes as he is still in astonishment of the detailed cake.

"You want to do the honors?" Devon asks with a large knife and a cake spatula.

"Gladly," Chuck takes the utensils and is about to cut into it when he stops suddenly.

"Oh no you're not," Ellie warns as she tries to figure out what is going on in his head. "You better not stick your face in it and ruin the cake for everyone."

"Do it!" Lawan jokingly exclaims.

"What?" Chuck recoils in surprise by her warning. "I just wanted to take a picture with my phone real quick. Morgan will never believe this is a cake," Chuck smiles brightly as he pulls his phone out and takes a few snapshots from different angles. "Can you take a picture for me, El?" He asks nicely as he hands his phone to her.

"Sure," she happily takes the camera from Chuck with relief that he is at least mature enough not to slam his face into the cake. She looks at the Blonde who must've slowly drifted towards the commotion and just happens to be standing nearby, "you wanna get in this picture?"

The Blonde frets slightly but fight the demons inside her. Chuck deserves some type of memorabilia for his birthday. He seems like someone who would actually remember events like this, unlike her usual life where all they care about is the next mission. Chuck kneels on the other side of the cake and smiles brightly while the Blonde barely even grins. It is not that she is not photogenic but the idea of her being immortalized as being there by the picture worries her. It is really just a stupid spy habit that she has come to acquire over the years. She finally kneels like Chuck and looks at the phone in Ellie's hands and gives a very subtle grin.

"Morgan's gonna love this," Chuck states as he smiles for the camera.

Ellie takes the picture with ease and hands the phone back to the happy, ecstatic Chuck.

/

Everyone is enjoying their cake and much to the Blonde's surprise, it is very delicious. She's had cake before but this one just felt more satisfying. Seeing Chuck giddy and happy was also very nice. She had never seen him so excited before and she really enjoys his reaction. He is very animated and comical, but still confident in his movements. Definitely not spy material by any means, but at least he knows who he is. She finishes her cake and wipes her mouth clean with the party napkin she was given. She sees Chuck standing alone, which is a rare occasion, and decides to give him what little bit of a present she can. She knows that he isn't going to want guns or a bear hide. And money doesn't seem like something that impresses him. He is a more sentimental person who likes things he can reminisce about.

She places her plate down and walks up to Chuck. She has rehearsed this for hours and with each step, her resolve crumbles. She doesn't know why this is so difficult to do. She has done this plenty of times, even if it was for cover. Maybe because this is real and every emotion flying around the room is real, it scares her. She swallows down her fears in a big gulp as she arrives right in front of Chuck.

He locks eyes on her and she gives him a tiny grin. She clears her throat silently and leans forward until her lips are next to his right cheek. "Happy Birthday, Chuck," she says just over a whisper before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Her breath soothingly warm against his ear and cheek. She feels his few days' old stubble graze her cheek. She can see him tense up in surprise and she ignores it as she wraps her arms around his waist and hooks her arms on his shoulder. She pulls herself as close to him as she can without making it uncomfortable for either party.

He is in complete shock at hearing what must've been angels singing. It was probably the most beautiful thing he has ever heard, yet it was so simple. It was just three words; not the usual three words that people usually think of but three completely different words. Yet, they still have so much meaning to them. The kiss was so unexpected that he completely froze up. He could imagine how red his skin is right now, but luckily she is now pressed against him and her head is nestled in the crook of his neck and shoulder. _Oh god, she's hugging me,_ Chuck panics as he realizes how close they are to each other. _Her chest is against mine… Her amazingly firm, bodacious, robust, delicious, plump chest… Oh god, I can't stop thinking about her chest._ He wills himself to stay calm and act normal and not like the giddy schoolgirl that wants to come out of him.

He gently wraps his arms around her back and places his left hand on her lower back and his right hand on her left scapula. He softly nestles her close to him, reveling in one of the greatest feelings he has ever encountered. He feels like everything is perfect at this moment. Her warmth is causing butterflies in his stomach and every process in his brain is turned to complete mush.

The Blonde is pleasantly surprised by how warm he feels. His hands are now on her back and she's actually enjoying it. The worst parts of her missions were when she had to get close to marks and they usually did a lot of touching; especially putting a hand to her lower back while acting as their date on seduction missions. But, in this case, everything feels so genuine and she doesn't want his hands to leave her. She feels an odd sensation of safety and security. She feels like nothing can possibly hurt her when she is in his arms. It is like there is an invisible force field around them that cannot be penetrated as long as she's in his arms.

What felt like hours, was in reality only seconds as his voice finally breaks her from her fearful, thrilling, hopeful thoughts. "Thank you," he states softly as his breath radiates against her ear. He is surprised himself that he was able to talk after such an amazing event. This has never ever happened to him before, but if this woman can turn his mind to jumble with just a kiss on the cheek and a hug, he's in deep trouble.

She slowly unhooks her arms and pulls away, much to both of their dislikes. She quickly retreats at the awkward sensations she was feeling and leaves the room slightly flustered and confused.

Chuck lets out his first breath in what felt like ages as he doesn't know how to explain what just happened. At least his mind is starting to work again. He had the most gorgeous girl in the world in his arms… in his arms! He's lucky that she left or he would've had to get away after the… whatever it was. There aren't even words for it. It was just complete shock and bliss and fear and lust and… and… Chuck doesn't know what to think anymore. Given her voice may have been slightly raspy, but she probably hasn't talked in like ages. He honestly thought she was a legitimate mute. But then to hear her angelic voice sing into his ear was the single greatest moment of his life. _Pull yourself together_, he scolds himself. _It was just a peck on the cheek and a hug._ He's never gotten so flustered over just a peck on the cheek and a hug before; not from Jill; not from any other girl who's ever done it. That may've just been the best birthday present he has ever gotten; a memory that will never fade. But how could he be falling for someone he doesn't even know the first name of?

/

The Blonde sighs heavily as she exits the room. She doesn't know what just happened. Her heart literally felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. She has ran ten miles straight, infiltrated a drug cartel, and worked as Secret Service for a year, but nothing has got her adrenaline pumping and her heart beating faster than that small exchange of affection. _It was just a hug;_ she scolds herself, _and a peck on the cheek._ She has kissed people she has known less on the lips and this was only on the cheek! She doesn't know what is going on with her. The weirdest part was that she actually enjoyed it. She didn't really want to let go of him, but knew it would get awkward if she held on for too long. _Who am I kidding_, she inwardly and humorless laughs, _it was still awkward_. Her back is still burning from where his hands were. It was just so comforting to her. She felt like her life was finally going in the right direction for the first time ever. But how could he like someone as disfigured as she is? How could he like someone he doesn't even know the name of!

**/**

**Ooo… Kind of a mean place to stop the chapter. Hehehe… I'm evil. I look forward to your lashing out in your reviews. You won't believe it until you see it but I was able to write up the next chapter so no break yet. No need to run away like the Roadrunner quite yet.**

**Please review.**


	10. The Greatest Gift Ever

**Thanks for the reviews and praise so far. It puts a smile on my face every time I read it. They really do mean a lot to me. I'm just as surprised as you all that I'm updating this even though I said I was taking a break. This chapter does have some fairly heavy nudity but I tried to keep it as prudent as possible without going into "unnecessarily awesome" detail lol.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Chuck is having probably the most wonderful day of his life and it is only a couple hours after noon. He is just relaxing on his bed as he thinks about how amazing this day has been. He had a great surprise birthday party that was just awesome. The cake was shaped like an Xbox 360 for goodness sake! But by far the best, most exhilarating present was the simple kiss on the cheek and hug by the beautiful Blonde after hearing her angelic voice for the first time. His mind is still running wild and his heart beating fast from the intimate moment. She was so sweet and gentle that it almost scares him how strong she can be. She must be some kind of fighting expert because she can easily break his wrist like a twig, yet be some type of angel with the softest touch and calming voice. He is just enjoying how much fun he is having with all these people appreciating him and not taking him for granted like the Buy More always did.

His phone ringing breaks up his internal musing and looks down at the phone. A pictured of a smiling bearded man appears and Chuck smiles brightly as he answers the phone, "Hey Morgan." It's been over two weeks since he last talked with his best childhood friend.

"Who is she and how did you meet her?" Morgan demands quickly with a serious tone.

"What?" Chuck sputters out in unexpected fashion. "Isn't it like midnight there?" Chuck asks with a light chuckle.

"It's like ten thirty-ish," Morgan answers quickly. "So, are you going to tell me who Vicky Vale is?"

"Vicky Vale?" Chuck's brow furrows in confusion. "Did you not notice the cake?" Chuck asks.

"Don't tell me she's actually just a cake," Morgan sighs with disappointment rising in his tone. "That's just cruel, man."

"She? No, she's real," Chuck has a huge smile on his face after remembering the intimate exchange earlier as he hears Morgan sigh in relief through the phone. "I'm talking about the Xbox in the middle of the picture. That's a cake."

"Really?" Morgan says with complete surprise. "That's a cake? You're not just screwing with me, are you?"

"Nope," Chuck has to stifle a laugh in his tight grin.

"It looks so real," Morgan announces in awe. "It should be on Cake Boss or something."

"That's what I said," Chuck laughs at how similar their minds are.

"That's truly amazing."

"I know," Chuck smiles proudly. "Ellie found a bakery here that made it."

"That's awesome. Happy birthday by the way," Morgan says happily. He does miss his best friend more than anything else, but knows that he needed to get away from everything unfortunate that has happened to him.

"Thanks buddy. How is everything at the Buy More?"

"It's fantastic," Morgan cheers in an overly enthusiastic upbeat tone. "Big Mike gave us all raises and free TVs and everything is just dandy." Morgan scoffs before becoming truthful. "It's the same old boring thing. Jeff and Lester are thinking of making a band. Anna is still super sexy. And Skip's afro is no more. Now, are you going to explain to me how you go to Thailand and find the hottest girl in the world… in Thailand!" Morgan asks in disbelief. It is so unfair that Chuck gets to meet this gorgeous blonde bombshell in Thailand when Morgan is only a five minute drive from Los Angeles, which is pretty much Hollywood, which is where all the beautiful blondes should be.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that," Chuck states with a tiny chuckle as he really ponders who she is.

"I need details!" Morgan demands in the phone as he slaps his hand with each subsequent word. "Name, birth sign, size!"

"I don't know," Chuck laughs at how quirky Morgan can be. He really does miss his best friend.

"How do you not know her name?" Morgan asks in disbelief.

"She is…" Chuck thinks for the right words as he can no longer say she is mute or doesn't speak. "…quiet," he finishes cautiously. "She doesn't really talk much and hasn't told me."

"You're at least hitting that, right?"

"Hitting that?" Chuck mocks Morgan's term for sex. "No, I'm not hitting anything," he deadpans. "I actually found her nearly starved to death a few days ago."

"Really?" Morgan's voice rises with intrigue. "She is American, right?"

"Yea."

"Did she get separated from her tour group or something?" Morgan asks curiously.

"I don't think so but I honestly don't know. I told you, she doesn't really talk."

"Wow, you do like her though, right? I mean, how can you not. Just look at her."

"I guess I do like her," Chuck shrugs as he tries to dance around the truth of the answer. He was not expecting to get into a conversation about her with Morgan at all. "She seems nice and sweet, but kind of scary."

"What do you mean scary?" Morgan asks with a furrowed brow.

"I don't know," Chuck sighs. "It's just she's a bit jumpy and kind of nearly broke my wrist… twice."

"Twice?" Morgan's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Yea," Chuck sighs as he rubs his temples with his free hand. "I don't know. She looks like she's had her fair share of fights."

"So you're telling me she is not only deadly beautiful, but beautifully deadly?" Morgan asks in disbelief.

"I don't know from firsthand experience, but that is one way of putting it," Chuck lets his smile creep into his tone at the joking manner of Morgan.

"That's pretty awesome. Speaking of Awesome, how is he and my future wife?"

Chuck snorts at Morgan's joke about Ellie. Morgan has always been in love with Ellie since they were six years old. He even brought her pillow as his date to Junior Prom. "They're doing great. The patients are getting along with both of them and Devon is trying to get me to work out," Chuck says the last one with hopeless dread.

"Everyone knows computer nerds aren't athletic," Morgan answers like it is obvious.

"I know," Chuck says with the same obvious tone. "But you know how Awesome is. He has to always do something awesome even if it is saving a patient's life, flossing, or training his unofficial brother-in-law."

"I know what you mean, dude," Morgan smiles brightly. "I wish I could talk more but Big Mike wants me in early tomorrow," he states in a slightly sad tone.

"Alright buddy," Chuck smiles sadly. "It was great talking with you and call whenever you want."

"You too… and happy birthday."

"Thanks buddy."

/

Three men in beige military uniforms are walking north as directed by their leader. They aren't completely sure what they are looking for, but were assigned to walk north. What are the chances that the Blonde took this route? There are essentially unlimited possible ways she could've escaped the compound. What if she went west for a few miles and then south? They don't really believe they are going to find a single person in a country filled with 65,000 people, not to mention the vast miles and miles of jungle around them.

"This is pointless," one of the men states as he kicks a rock into a creek and makes an odd sound that goes unnoticed to him. "The bitch is gone."

"You're probably right but we cannot just return and say we didn't find anything. He would probably kill us," another man states.

"Will you guys shut the fuck up?" The last man says as he kneels over the creek next to where the rock landed. The other two men instantly stop talking and look at the man kneeling over the creek. "What would a plastic bag be doing here?" The man picks it up and inspects it.

"Trash," one of the other two men state like it is obvious.

"No," the other standing man states with widened eyes as he realizes what it is. "I know what that is. It's one of the cocaine baggies the Boss uses!"

"And the Blonde stole the Boss' cocaine," the kneeling man stands up with a smirk on his face. "We're heading in the right direction."

"Should we go back and inform the boss?"

"No, that would just make us lose a day and give her more time to keep running. We do this on our own and we'll look like heroes to the Boss," the man smiles wickedly.

"I like that plan," another man matches his smile.

"We keep heading north."

/

The Blonde walks through the hallway and into the living quarters where Chuck is holding a jumble of clean folded clothes underneath his arm. He smiles up at her as she enters. "Hey," he says softly. "I'm gonna take a shower," he fiddles with the clothes to support his statement.

She gives him a soft grin as she had the exact same intention to take a shower. She looks over at her bed and sees the clothes neatly folded with the necessary cleaning products on top of the blanket. She glances over at Chuck to see him pull out a disposable razor and some shaving cream. She bites her lower lip in jealousy and contemplation.

"Well, see ya later," he quickly waves and leaves the room before she can ask to borrow them.

She squeezes her eyes shut as she has never froze like that. She doesn't know what came over her but she is about to fix it, no matter what she needs to do. She grabs the clothes and heads for the bathroom.

As she walks into the community bathroom, she hears the rightmost stall shower start and she sees steam slowly clouding over the top. She wants that razor and doesn't know how to go about getting it. She could knock and ask him, she could wait for him to finish and then ask him, or she can do what she honestly doesn't know what caused her to do.

She strips down to just her underwear while making sure no one else is in the bathroom before quietly sneaking into Chuck's stall. She knows this is probably the dumbest way to go about this, but she doesn't know what is affecting her. Her judgment is completely clouded by envy and it isn't letting her mind think rationally. In what felt like mere seconds, she was already completely nude right behind the wet, naked Chuck who has yet to see that she is in there with him. If anyone is going to see her naked, she would like it to be Chuck because he would never make fun of her and appreciate her for what she is. She can't help herself as she peeks down his drenched thin back as he runs his hands through his hair; his back muscles contracted to form an attractive bulge of muscles. Her eyes follow his spine down until she is staring at his dripping wet ass. A small smile creeps on her face, _that's an ass I can watch every day._

She quietly places her clean clothes next to his and sees him holding the razor. She gently steps up behind him and wraps her left arm around his body and softly palms the middle of his chest; water now cascading over her too. He freezes completely as he looks down at the arm and feels two soft pokes equally apart prodding him in his back. He quickly notices a scar on the back of the palm and knows only one person in this clinic who could have a scar there, the Blonde.

"Chuck?" She asks so quietly, he can barely hear it over the loud splashing of the cascading water. Her hair is slowly weighing down with the unending flow of water.

"Y, yea?" He stutters as he finally realizes he is completely nude with this woman he barely knows touching him. A blush quickly starts creeping up his neck and stinging his cheeks into a bright red.

"Can I use the razor?" She asks in the same shy quiet tone as she keeps her hold on his chest and presses her breasts a little deeper into him.

"Um, well, uh, yea, I guess," he stutters nervously as his mind now drifts off thinking about her body_. Her beautiful, tight, toned body with her perfect sized breasts and her nipples are depressing into my back... Get a hold of yourself!_ He scolds himself quickly. He reaches his right hand just over his right shoulder and hands her the razor. "Um, do you want me to um leave or something? Like do you want your privacy?"

She likes when he is nervous. He always gets flustered and cute with how he tries to explain something but has to pause every couple seconds to rethink his strategy. "No," she whispers as she lays her cheek on the top of his back for a few tranquil seconds. "I want you to stay."

"Um okay," Chuck says for lack of a better way.

"I know I'm ugly—" She starts with an embarrassed tone before Chuck cuts her off.

"No you're not," he quickly blurts out truthfully like it is the easiest thing to say and he oddly feels an instinctual need to protect this woman in any way he can. Where he grew the courage to speak so seriously, let alone speak coherently escapes him.

"Thank you, Chuck," she tightens her hold on him while still using a soft tone. "Just don't make fun of me, okay? I haven't been able to shave in two years."

Chuck, more than anything, wants to ask why she hasn't as it could pertain to her body being scarred, but he files the information into the recesses of his brain for later use knowing how hard this must be for her. "I won't," he says softly in a caring tone that slowly melts her heart. She can hear the seriousness, yet gentleness in his tone and it means so much to her. Her grip on him gently eases and he slowly rotates until he is staring her right in the eyes. Their eyes lock and he doesn't know how, but her cerulean oceanic eyes keep him so mesmerized, he barely realizes they are both completely nude and a part of his anatomy may or may not be touching her right now. By this time, he doesn't even realize water is still showering down his back.

"Shaving cream?" She asks with a small smile.

"What?" He finally breaks out of the trance her eyes always put him into. "Oh yea," he blushes deeply as he turns to pick it up and hand it to her. He finally gets a brief peek at her completely nude body. The tan lines along her upper chest are so prominent and her pale skin is ghostly white that she looks like she is still wearing a tank top. But this doesn't detract from her beauty in any way. Before he is caught staring, he quickly hands her the shaving cream and looks at the ceiling. She sneaks a peek down and sees him and all his glory. She bites her lower lip at seeing the large muscle not completely flaccid but not quite erect. She isn't sure if he is getting turned on by her, but she is actually starting to feel turned on by him.

"Is it okay if I use it for…?" She trails off embarrassedly as she points down towards her crotch. Chuck follows her finger until he sees the large black bush around her ghostly white pubic region. The hair has grown to fairly extreme lengths in his opinion but once again, nothing can match her beauty. He barely notices the prominent tan lines along her upper thighs before quickly looking up while blushing furiously. She thinks he has never looked more adorable then now, but she would never force him into such a struggle between his chivalry and male needs. She lets out a little smile at his reaction.

"Oh yea! Sure, do whatever you need to," he quickly spurts out loudly as he is still nervously trying to fight his own male instincts so he looks up at the ceiling again.

She steals one last glance at his face and can see the turmoil on it. He is trying his best to be courteous and modest, but he is fighting demons that don't surrender easily. "It's okay," she gently caresses his cheek with her hand and leads his head downward so it is no longer straining for him to look up. She was always a little shy about her body but she learned to hide that behind her multiple personas as a spy. The odd thing is that she doesn't feel like she is pretending to be anyone else. This is the most real she has ever felt.

His eyes slowly rest on her gorgeous face and he cannot complain with the sight. He is only staring at the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, including movies and television. "Are you sure?" He asks softly as if he's gotten past the nervous stage and now just wants her to be as comfortable as possible.

"I haven't done this in a while," she looks away embarrassedly. "I don't want to mess up."

"If you need any help, I'm right here," he states in a calming confident tone that has no humor or teasing in it.

"Thank you," she states softly as she gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

A smile slowly grows on his face at how amazing it feels to be kissed by this beautiful, elegant, enigmatic creature. It's outrageous how a tiny kiss on the cheek can make him that happy, but he's not going to fight the swirls of emotions running through him because of this woman; they are all pleasurable feelings anyways.

She gently gets to work on removing the extraneous hairs around her body. With each subsequent scrape of her pubic region, her lovely privates are revealed to Chuck. She definitely notices how her new appearance is affecting him as his member gets harder and harder. She is biting her lip the entire time as she feels an odd sense of joy inside her chest and stomach. _He must think I'm attractive_, she thinks hopefully while trying to keep all her glances at his hardened arousal furtive.

/

By the time she is done, her pubic region is completely shaven, her arms and legs are no longer fuzzy feeling and her skin feels a hundred times softer. She runs her hands along her arms and legs to feel the smoothness except for the occasional scar. She finally runs her hands along her crotch and is pleasantly surprised to have her hands glide like oil all the way up to her stomach. Now that she is finally finished, she can start her shower while Chuck can finish his. He gives her a small smile of approval, not that she can possibly fail to acquire it, before squeezing out some body wash onto his hand. He hands her the bottle before rubbing his hands together to get the cleansing product flowing. He starts circulating the product over his body and she just watches instead of putting it on her own body. She is surprisingly mesmerized by his body, especially when he stretches his chest back or when he bends forward. She imagines that it was her rubbing the body wash over his body as she unconsciously nibbles on her lower lip. She finally breaks the trance and starts lathering the body wash over her entire body quickly to catch up to him.

The thought of using the same kind of body wash as Chuck just makes her feel more joyous. She definitely likes him in more than just a friend capacity. He is the perfect gentleman in her opinion and adorably handsome. She could see any girl in the world falling for him in a heartbeat with his chivalrous charm and cute nerdy antics. She is nearly positive he is attracted to her. He was rock hard while she was shaving so that is the first good sign and he said that she wasn't ugly. The one thing still hanging over her head is the fact that he doesn't even know her name. She needs to correct this mistake as soon as possible and both of them drying off their nude bodies is the perfect opportunity, well not exactly perfect but convenient… in a way.

"Chuck?" She asks as she wraps the towel around her chest to cover the most intimate parts of her body.

"Yea?" He looks into her eyes as if not realizing she is only in a towel. She likes that about him. He is kind and modest and doesn't try to sneak perverted glances like most men.

"My name is Sarah," she looks down at the ground with slight trepidation before looking back up into his eyes. "Sarah Walker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sarah," he smiles charmingly as he reaches his hand out to shake hers.

"I'd say we're a little bit past a handshake," she jokes after they just took a shower together. It feels like the first joke she has ever told as she was never really a comedian like her friend Carina. But this time, it just flew out of her mouth with as much ease as blinking.

"So you're not only beautiful and your name is Sarah, but you're funny too?" He smiles brightly. "This day just keeps getting better."

She has to stifle a laugh at his response but her jumbled up grin makes Chuck float with butterflies in his stomach. She feels the same reaction as he just called her beautiful and coming from him means everything to her. His opinion is like pure truth to her.

"I like the name Sarah, by the way," he says while sliding his pants on. "It suits you."

"Thanks," she smiles shyly as she wraps the bra around her chest.

Chuck just smiles thinking of how far they came from when he first found her out in the jungle to now hearing her talk and even joke! Now he has a name to put to the beautiful face that has captured his conscious and subconscious. This woman is just so intriguing to him and he just wants to hear everything she could possibly say. She definitely looks like someone who would have a couple good stories to tell and they would hopefully give him more knowledge of the enigmatic Sarah Walker. This is definitely the best birthday he has ever had.

**/**

**Now I may be taking that break, but this chapter kind of just wrote itself so you're all lucky. I've gotten about half way through the next one and will hopefully upload it on schedule. I hope this chapter was fun to read. Yes, Sarah has come a long way from being the cold calculated silent killer to now joking while nearly nude. I hope the nudity wasn't too much or farfetched but I kind of thought about this scene multiple times.**

**Please review.**


	11. Showing Your True Colors

**Thanks for the review so far. They are a blessing to read and I try to answer any questions you have in a reply. I still cannot believe I got this chapter finished in time. And I really still can't believe it's not butter, but that's a different story. I do not own Chuck. There will be some violence and gore in this chapter. I know, like finally!**

**/**

Dinner went by smoothly. Chuck had a content grin on his face the entire time and Ellie couldn't be happier. All she has ever wanted to do was see Chuck happy again and this is the first time since during Stanford he seems like the confident joyous Chuck she originally raised. Ellie doesn't know if it is the present she got him, the specially ordered cake, or just the surprise party itself. But something has made Chuck very happy and Ellie couldn't be more satisfied than she is now.

Time flew by once again and they were already getting ready for sleep. Sarah is in the bathroom as she is about to start brushing her teeth. Chuck walks into the open door with a big smile on his face, "tandem style brushing?" He asks as he picks up his toothbrush.

She gives him a playful smile as she hands him the toothpaste after lathering a glop onto her brush.

"Spearmint?" He grins brightly as he takes the tube of toothpaste. "Traditionally I'm more of a peppermint man myself but I can live on the edge for once."

She lets out a tiny chuckle while the brush is in her mouth and Chuck just melts at the cute expression on her face. She is smiling with her mouth wide open while cleaning the outside of her upper molars. She gives him a playful nudge with her elbow before continuing to brush her teeth.

Sarah loves the feeling of her teeth being clean. She was denied that option for two years so she greatly enjoys the icy cool breath it gives her every time. She has been quickly becoming more and more comfortable. She has even become comfortable enough to sleep in just a shirt and the underwear, obviously not forgetting the socks. The only time she is ever going without socks is when she is showering. She slides her long toned legs under the blankets and pulls them to her neck. Chuck follows suit and climbs into his bed with just boxers and an undershirt on.

Chuck doesn't know what Ellie and Devon always do that makes them get to bed so late, and he honestly doesn't want to know so he just pretends like they are just helping the patients. He clears his mind of anything it can think his sister is doing with Devon and turns to the Blonde after getting comfortable in the bed. "Goodnight Sarah," he says sincerely before finding a comfortable position.

"Goodnight Chuck," she says softly with a small smile on her face. She knows that Chuck likes her in more ways than one and couldn't be happier with the feelings it is brewing inside her. She has never felt this way about anyone or anything, but she is kind of scared and excited at the same time. She has definitely never showered with another man; even if it was unfortunately platonic. She was afraid that Chuck seeing her nude would change things but he hasn't changed a bit. She's almost certain it has replayed in his mind and any guy would replay it over, but he is still sweet, charming, and funny much to her relief. She can easily say that Chuck Bartowski is quickly becoming her best friend and she couldn't be happier. This day may have positively changed her life forever.

/

The night sky shrouds the dense jungle in nearly complete darkness. The three scouts enlisted by the Boss to find the Blonde are still walking north with flashlights guiding their way. "We've been walking for hours," one of the men complains. "It's like midnight already."

"Suck it up, soldier," the second man says sarcastically.

"Hey guys, there's something over there," the last man shines the beam of his flashlight twenty feet ahead of them.

The three of them start walking up to what has caught their attention. With each subsequent step, they slowly realize what it is.

"Is, is that a bear?" The first man asks with a perplexed expression.

"What's left of one, yea," the second man answers as he kneels over it.

"Well, what's a dead bear doing in the middle of the jungle?" The first man asks curiously with a furrowed brow.

"Dying," the last man snorts jokingly.

"It looks like it's been skinned," the second man concludes after seeing the rotting meat of the bear filled with maggots and half of the skeleton already picked clean.

"You think…?" The first man asks.

"Who else would be out here killing bears and skinning them?" The last man asks sardonically. "It's gotta be her."

"So, we're still going in the right direction," the first soldier sighs. "Thank god."

"We should go another mile north and then set up camp and get a few hours of sleep. I think we're close to finding her," the second man states deviously.

/

The Blonde awakes to what is rapidly becoming her favorite sight: Chuck's peaceful face. She looks upon him sleeping in the bed across from her. He is on his side and facing directly towards her as if he was watching over her sleeping to protect her from anything harmful. Before she knows it, the alarm goes off and Chuck groggily turns so his face is in the pillow.

"Mmuugghhh…" Chuck grumbles into his pillow and Sarah smiles at his humorous reaction.

"Come on Chuck," Ellie states with a miraculous amount of energy for waking up seconds ago.

"I'll catch up with you guys," he mumbles sleepily through closed eyes.

"Fine," Ellie narrows her eyes at Chuck before turning to the Blonde. "Good morning," Ellie smiles sincerely.

"Good morning," Sarah replies back in a soft tone.

Ellie has to school all her features not to get excited to hear the Blonde speak for the first time. Chuck made Ellie promise not to act any different when Sarah first talks. Ellie is utterly ecstatic at hearing the blissful voice coming from the beautiful blonde.

Sarah easily notices the brunette's reaction to hearing her speak for the first time and can easily read how excited Ellie really is. But all in all, she does a convincing job to the untrained eye of not showing her excitement.

Devon stands up next to Ellie and gives her a peck on the lips. "I'm gonna go for my morning jog," he informs her sweetly.

"Alright Devon," Ellie nods with a smile. "I'll check on the patients." They both walk out of the room with an arm around each other.

"Are they always so energetic in the morning?" Sarah asks jokingly.

"I know, right?" Chuck exclaims as someone else finally notices it.

Sarah climbs out of the bed and Chuck gets a front-row seat to seeing her beautifully long, dark legs all the way up to her waist as she is only wearing tight cotton panties. _Yikes,_ Chuck nervously looks up at the ceiling.

"So… what do you want to do today?" Sarah asks curiously as she shimmies into her pants.

"Nap time?" Chuck jokingly asks while feigning hopefulness.

Sarah lets out a little giggle that causes Chuck's eyes to open wide and stares at her. How could a noise so adorably cute and angelic come from such an enigmatic beautiful creature?

"What?" She asks as she catches him staring at her.

"Nothing," Chuck nervously looks away. "It's just I like your laugh."

"Thanks," she grins brightly.

"How about breakfast first?" Chuck says with some regained confidence from her gratitude as he sits up in his bed. "You can't really do much on an empty stomach."

_You can do more than you know,_ the Blonde thinks to herself. "Okay," she nods as she slides her feet into her oversized boots and hooks her single combat knife to her belt loop.

/

As the day reaches noon, Chuck decides he will go on his daily walk. On his way towards his adventurous walk, he finds Sarah sitting on the steps outside looking off into the distance.

"Nice day, huh?" Chuck asks innocently behind her.

The Blonde briefly freezes from being startled but then just nods as she continues to watch the ending of the lush jungle where the bright blue sky begins.

"I feel like it always is," he shrugs as he walks down the steps and smile sincerely at her. "That's why I like to take daily walks. Would you like to join me?"

She gives him an affirmative grin and nod so he happily puts his hand out to help her up. She accepts his hand immediately and he pulls her to his feet without causing any discomfort.

/

"So," Chuck breaks the amiable silence with some small talk as he just wants to know everything about the enigma that is Sarah, "what kind of music do you like?"

She awkwardly shrugs and cocks her head conveying that she doesn't know.

"Then what's your favorite band?" Chuck tries to make it easier on her.

She shrugs once again unknowingly.

"You have to like some type of music," Chuck deadpans. "Do you like the Rolling Stones? David Bowie? Maybe some of the classics like Nat 'King' Cole?"

She has at least heard of the Rolling Stones but has never really listened to them. "Not really."

"Fine, let's start with the basics. What style do you like? Rock, classical, rap?" the last one he asks with a huge shrug as he doesn't see this woman being too into rap music.

"I never really listened to music," she admits slightly embarrassed.

"You had to of listened to music. It's like a part of life," Chuck pushes on, not believing that anyone could not like music.

"Well I did play the clarinet a little bit back in high school," Sarah responds as she tries to help Chuck in any way she can.

Chuck grins at hearing her mention high school. _She was probably the most popular girl in school,_ he thinks to himself excitedly. _I'm talking to a shoe-in prom queen._ "There you go," Chuck exclaims like it should've been the easiest thing to say. "So you probably like classical music like Beethoven or Mozart."

"I don't really remember… it was so long ago." She answers halfheartedly. Truth be told, she doesn't want to remember because it was the time she was not only teased for being 'ugly' as bullies so nicely put it, but also her father being arrested. She even had satisfying dreams of fileting some of them with a knife like Dick Duffy but her Dad made her promise not to use her knife skills on 'the poor misguided boys.'

"Here," Chuck pulls out his iPhone and selects his music. He finds his selection of Beethoven songs and selects his famous _Fifth Symphony_. He plays the song and raises the volume on his phone as high as possible while Sarah watches in curiosity. The music starts with an ominous four note motif that slowly increases in tempo.

The Blonde listens in content silence to the music as it strides into different tempos and notes with multiple instruments. She does remember learning this song in her music class, but she has certainly forgotten how to play it by now.

"Did you know he was deaf when he composed this?" Chuck asks breaking their silent listening.

"Really?" She looks at him in slight surprise.

"Yea. Even deaf, he was still able to make classics."

"Wow," Sarah smiles subtly at how knowledgeable Chuck is.

After a few more minutes of silence, Chuck decides to gently pry for answers to why she is even in Thailand. "Have you ever been to Thailand before?" He asks as innocently as possible.

"Nope," Sarah momentarily freaks out as she doesn't want to admit anything about her past.

"Me neither," he shrugs with a slight grin. "Did you come here for business or pleasure?"

Sarah knows if she says business then he will certainly ask what she does, but she hates the idea of having to lie to him. She knows the smarter choice is to lie and scolds herself after replying, "pleasure."

"So, how do you like it so far?" Chuck asks innocently without knowing what she has been through.

A brief fit of anger rises inside her as she remembers the last two years of her life, but quickly schools her features and calms herself. "I'm liking it right now," she replies slightly shy as she omits how much she hated it less than a week ago, but just being with Chuck has been the best times of her life.

Chuck's stomach fills with butterflies and his heart starts to beat faster at her response. _She must be enjoying her time with me,_ he happily concludes. "That's good. It's a beautiful country. The hundreds of different plants and trees are just astounding."

"Yea, I guess," Sarah agrees halfheartedly as she doesn't think she can say that about the people after what some of them put her through. She never paid attention to the scenery before. It was always just mission details after mission details.

"You guess?" Chuck looks at her with a disbelieving look with a small smile. "Haven't you ever just looked around you?"

"I can't say I have," she replies just as cryptically as before.

"Just look at how those two trees have grown," Chuck ecstatically points off to two large trees as he unknowingly and instinctually grabs Sarah's right hand with his left.

She glances down for a brief second at the unexpected touch, but she holds onto his hand affectionately as she feels an eccentric jolt of excitement run through her.

"Just look at how the branches grow out of there!" Chuck exclaims like it is the most amazing thing ever. "I mean, why does that branch grow straight into the air while that one grows horizontally? Nature is just amazing. Haven't you ever seen a mountain before?"

"I'm pretty certain I've seen a mountain before," Sarah deadpans with a jumbled up smile as she tries to resist laughing.

"But have you ever *really* seen one?" Chuck looks back at her. "Just looked at all the different slopes and curves of the mountain? How one part could be very steep and pointy while the part immediately next to it is rounded like a dome? It's truly amazing!"

Sarah tries to think of all the different mountains she has seen. She has been to the Rocky Mountains, the Andes, and even the Himalayans all on missions but never once stopped to look at the numerous dips and curves of a mountain. She can remember parts of her mission but never the scenery. Scenery was only useful for finding scouting spots or weaknesses for penetration. Never did she look at it just to admire the beauty.

"I guess I haven't," she confesses quietly at realizing she has never paid any attention to how beautiful nature can be. She almost feels like she had been mindlessly going through the motions until Chuck has come to open her eyes.

"We should drive to the Thai Highlands for a day trip," Chuck smiles brightly at her. "You can't see anything but jungle from here." Almost like a balloon falling after losing its air, Chuck finally realizes that he is not only proposing to take a day trip with this woman he only met a few days ago, but is also holding her hand. He pulls his hand back quickly as he looks down in embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbles to the ground. "I kind of got ahead of myself."

The Blonde doesn't like seeing him sad and in her honest opinion, she would love to take a day trip with him. She knows he would be so gentlemanlike and sweet with a whole picnic setup and everything. And holding his hand was much more comfortable than it should be. "I'd like that," she smiles shyly at him with a slightly dipped head as she looks at him through her bangs.

He looks up with utter surprise as a full-on smile splits his face. She hates that smile only because she likes it so damn much. It is the most innocent, charming, content, exhilarating smile she has ever seen. He looks like his entire day was just made because of what she said.

"We should probably head back now," Sarah states as she bobs her head towards the general direction of the clinic. She uses her instruction as an opportunity to indulge herself in some more heartwarming handholding. She reaches and grabs his warm hand and holds it tightly.

He feels a shockwave of energy flow through him and his heartbeat quickens. He finally overcomes the sensations flowing through him and he gives her an affectionate squeeze on her hand before walking at her side with a content grin.

/

The three men in beige outfits and assault rifles on their sides emerge from the jungle and see a two story building fifty yards ahead. It is in the middle of nowhere and the closest town would probably be around twenty miles out. "This is a very secure location," the first man muses.

"Yea, maybe it's one of her safe houses. Wasn't she like an American spy or something?" The second man asks curiously.

"Something like that," the third man steps ahead of them. "Come on," he signals for them to follow him, "let's check it out."

/

Sarah and Chuck are walking hand in hand through the lush greenery, enjoying each other's warm touch. Sarah has never felt so many emotions flow through her. She has never genuinely held someone's hand for the sake of feeling closer to them on an intimate level. She's done it for missions, but she had to get closer to plant some type of recording device on the mark. She's never done it for her own sake, but right now she couldn't be happier about her decision to hold his hand.

Chuck is only holding her hand and he already cannot think about anything else. _She took my hand_, he smiles to himself victoriously. _She initiated the contact_. His heart is still beating quicker than normal and this is just from her hand around his. It's kind of scary how much she can affect him. He still hasn't gotten any answers about her past and no matter how badly he wants to know the origins of the scars, he wouldn't dare pressure her into telling him about it. The last thing he wants to do is push her away by nagging her about her past.

The two of them blissfully come out of the shrubbery to see the clinic a good thirty yards away. Everything looks normal when Sarah instantly let's go of Chuck's hand and pushes him down to a kneeling position harshly behind some shrubbery.

"What's going—" Chuck is interrupted by a loud shush from Sarah.

"Be quiet," she whispers in a hiss.

"Sarah," he whispers with fear flowing through his tone, "what's going on?"

"Those men your sister and Devon are talking to are bad people," she states as she unsheathes her lone combat knife. She can recognize those outfits from a mile away. They were guards at the place she was held captive and forced to fight for the last two years.

Chuck finally looks over some shrubbery to see three men in beige outfits talking with Ellie and Devon. The three men have assault rifles at their hips and holstered handguns. Chuck recognizes the assault rifles as the same type that Sarah had the first day he met her.

"Oh my god," Chuck shudders with fear as he covers his mouth with his hands, "Ellie and Devon."

"Stay here Chuck," Sarah demands in a harsh whisper.

"But what about you?" He asks with fear swirling in his eyes.

Sarah gives him a small smile. She's slightly surprised he is worrying about her and it actually feels nice to have someone care about her. Her smile increases a little before she slips out of her boots and sneakily hurries towards the three men talking with Ellie and Devon without making a single sound.

Chuck watches in utter fear as Sarah approaches the men from behind with the combat knife in the ready. His heart is pounding so loud in his throat that he is afraid to breath. He is scared for his sister and her boyfriend. But he is also scared for the enigmatic blonde that is quickly latching onto his heart. She looks to be completely calm and collected as she crouches so stealthily while closing the distance quickly. Chuck is frightened at the thought that she may just be trying to be a foolish hero or maybe she knows exactly what she is doing.

/

"Um, how can we help you?" Ellie asks slightly skeptical as she easily notices the large weapons on their hips and it slightly frightens her.

"I'm officer Lee," the first man states.

"What can we do for you, officer?" Devon asks as he instinctually steps in front of Ellie. Ellie and Devon easily notice there is no badge or any sign of military rank on their uniforms.

"We're looking for a woman," the second man states. "She's about six feet tall, blonde hair to about her lower back, scars along her arms and legs."

"Why would you be looking for this woman?" Ellie asks skeptically as she slightly narrows her eyes and steps next to Devon again. She knows exactly who they are talking about but Ellie doesn't feel like the Blonde could possibly be a criminal.

"She escaped from prison only a few days ago," the first man states as serious as he can. "She is extremely dangerous and will not hesitate to kill anyone who even looks at her the wrong way."

Ellie knows this man has to be lying. The Blonde hasn't tried to hurt them once and has been nothing but sincere the entire time. The woman seems like someone extremely shy who was traumatized and beaten. Ellie is about to retort when she sees the Blonde come out of the grassy shrubbery with a combat knife gripped in her right hand and her left index finger over her lips to signal them to keep quiet about her advantageous position.

"Well, um, we," Devon stammers as he is just horrible at lying and now that he knows where the Blonde is, he is struggling to lie about her position. Ellie knows this fact about Devon and steps up to relieve him.

"We don't know who you're talking about," Ellie states quickly and gives the men a wry smile. "Sorry, we're just a medical clinic."

Sarah approaches from behind the three men and swiftly wraps her left palm over the third man's mouth and brings her right hand gripping the knife around and then stabbing the man in the middle of the throat. The man was the farthest behind so the other two have to turn to see what the commotion is. Ellie and Devon's eyes widen in complete fear and surprise at what this blonde woman is doing. She seemed like just a poor woman who was brutally beaten and lost in the jungle, but she seems so in tune with killing the man.

As Sarah's knife penetrates through the back of the man's neck, she quickly pulls it out and spins towards the second man; blood showering from the lethal neck wound. She pushes his assault rifle barrel to her side as he tries to aim and shoot it as fast as he could. She lunges towards him with the blade of the knife outward and into the man's left shoulder. The man screams in pain as the knife penetrates and then slices upwards and out of his skin. The first man gets his hand around the grip of his assault rifle and his finger on the trigger as he tries to aim it at the Blonde. The second man falls to the ground as he grips his shoulder in excruciating pain.

The first man fires a burst of five bullets towards Sarah. She sidesteps to the best of her abilities but the last bullet clips her upper left arm. She falls to the ground with an audible grimace as blood quickly fills the wound and overflows, darkening her shirt sleeve.

"SARAH! NO!" Chuck screams at the top of his lungs as his heart drops at seeing her in pain. Ellie and Devon are just frozen in position as they have never seen such violence close up. They've seen the results of violence like knife wounds and gunshots but never have they seen the victims being injured.

The last remaining man temporarily looks up at Chuck running wildly towards Sarah as if her life depended on it. Sarah takes advantage of Chuck's distraction and sweeps the man's legs, knocking him to the ground. She quickly crosses and wraps her ankles around his neck and squeezes as tight as she can. The man tries to reach for his assault rifle, but she twists her hips, breaking the man's neck in one satisfying crunching sound.

She quickly releases her grip as the man lies lifelessly on the ground. She swiftly turns her body towards the second man whose knife wound wasn't lethal, but he is already retreating into the jungle like a scared animal and too far to reach.

"Sarah," Chuck pants slightly out of breath with tears in his eyes, "are you okay?" He sees the reddening blossom on her left sleeve and his eyes widen in fear. "Oh god, you're shot," he cries out in utter fear for her life.

"I'm okay," she groans out with a grimacing smile.

"Ellie! Devon!" Chuck tearfully calls to the petrified doctors. "Help me!" He cries out as he puts pressure on the wound; probably the only thing he knows about gunshot wounds. Chuck is scared out of his mind as the blood won't stop flowing.

Ellie and Devon finally break out of their paralyzed trance and get to work. "Get the first aid kit!" Ellie instructs Devon.

"On it," he states as he sprints into the clinic.

"Hold on Sarah," Ellie states as calmly as she could. She looks up at Chuck, "keep pressure on the wound." She looks back down at Sarah, "everything's going to be fine. You're going to be okay."

Sarah tries to smile but she quickly feels her vision fading to black and her mind losing the ability to process anything. She looks into Chuck's tearful worried eyes and smiles at him. "I'll be fine. We're at a medical clinic after all…" She mumbles the same words he told her when she nearly broke his wrist from waking her from her nightmare. She quickly drifts into unconsciousness as the blood loss is too much for her.

**/**

**I finished this chapter just in time. I haven't even started on the next one yet so a break is most likely but I will do my best to provide the thrilling entertainment of this story. I'm sorry about the completely uncalled for and mean cliffhanger. Direct your anger in your reviews, please.**

**Please review.**


	12. A Slow Recovery

**Thanks for all the reviews. They really do make this story more satisfying to write. I don't know anything about bullet wounds and do not have an extensive knowledge of the TV show **_**E.R.**_** so don't judge me too harshly. There will be descriptions of gore and blood.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

The front doors of the clinic fly open with Ellie leading the way in a blaring rush. Chuck is holding Sarah by her stomach while Devon is holding her legs up. Blood is flowing down Sarah's left arm like a multitude of rivers. Ellie directs them to the small emergency room that they have for emergency purposes only. Chuck and Devon quickly, but gently place her down onto the cot. Ellie quickly pulls out the IV bag and a needle from a drawer while Devon pulls out the surgical tools and puts on some latex gloves. He hands Ellie a pair too that she slides on instantly.

"Please be okay," Chuck whispers worriedly before stepping back to let the doctors operate.

Ellie and Devon swiftly work to remove the bullet with tweezers once the IV is in Sarah's right arm. Chuck watches with horror as they cut away the bloody sleeve to reveal the rose color blossom on her arm that is still leaking fresh blood. Devon uses tweezers to dig into the wound and extract the bullet. He finds it with ease and removes the bullet, dropping it into the metal bin Ellie had brought out. Blood sprays out of the fresh wound, which is not a good sign. "I think it clipped the brachial artery," Devon informs Ellie hastily. Chuck's eyes widen as it covers his mouth to block a gasp from coming out. He isn't exactly sure what that is, but it sounds bad.

Ellie instantly appears with forceps in her hand as she digs into the wound to clamp down the artery. "Got it," she informs Devon after pinching the artery with the forceps without removing her grip on the forceps. "Suture kit," she reaches behind her as Devon flowingly hands her a hair-like needle and fine silk. Ellie brings it around in front of her as Devon shifts around to standing by Sarah's head. He holds the forceps tightly and Ellie lets off to stitch the artery back together. Blood finally stops spurting as the forceps do their job in clamping the artery. Ellie shoves her fingers right into the wound as she carefully stitches the artery closed.

Chuck watches in utter fear from the corner of the room. The amount of blood is sickening but he is afraid to leave. He wants to make sure Sarah will be alright. He has never been so scared in his life and this is a woman he has only met a few days ago, but he has quickly grown to like and more.

Ellie finishes stitching the artery back together and looks up at Devon. He gets her signal and removes the forceps carefully to make sure the artery is successfully stitched and so the backed up flow of blood doesn't dislodge any of the stitches. Everything seems fine as he puts the forceps back onto the table. Now that the wound is clear, Ellie quickly stitches the bloody cavity closed with ease. Devon picks up the bullet with tweezers and rinses it off. He examines it and notices that it is slightly rusty.

He dives into another drawer and pulls out a needle. Ellie looks at him in slight confusion. "Rusty bullet. Tetanus shot," he explains quickly as he gently eases the needle into Sarah's right upper arm and injects the vaccine. Ellie breathes a sigh of relief and looks over to her brother, who is nearly shaking with fear.

"It's alright, Chuck," she smiles with relief. "It's just a little blood."

_That's the understatement of the century,_ Chuck thinks bitterly as her entire chest is covered in blood while her hands are bright red up to her wrists. "Is she going to be alright?" Chuck asks worriedly. He could care less about the blood at this moment and only cares about Sarah.

"She should be fine, bro," Devon states as he removes his bloody gloves. "She lost a lot of blood so she will be out for a few hours but otherwise," he smiles disarmingly; "she'll make a full recovery."

"Thank god," Chuck sighs under his breath as he finally realizes he hasn't taken a breath in what felt like hours.

"I'm gonna give her some morphine for the pain," Ellie informs Devon as she digs through one of the numerous drawers of medical supplies.

"Good idea, babe," Devon nods with a reminiscent smile. "Wow, it feels like so long since we had to do that."

"You were amazing," Ellie states with admiration, "dare I say… Awesome?"

"Are you kidding me?" Devon looks at her with a bright smile. "You were awesome! How you stitched up the artery and wound like it was your morning routine? I'm jealous."

Ellie leans forward on her toes and gives Devon a chaste kiss on the lips, "thanks."

/

Chuck is sitting in a chair next to Sarah's bed while she is asleep in it. He constantly glances at her to make sure she is alright. Ellie and Devon said the morphine will probably keep her asleep for another hour or two. Chuck finally has the time to just ponder about everything that happened today, but he doesn't know what to think anymore. This woman who he is quickly liking more and more just killed two people in the blink of an eye; almost three. He has never been more scared of her, yet he still feels the need to protect her. That is why he has yet to leave her alone.

Ellie walks in to break him from his thoughts. "How's she doing?" Ellie asks softly.

Chuck glances at Sarah's peaceful sleeping form. "She's doing fine," he answers halfheartedly.

"You like her, huh?" Ellie smiles genuinely at Chuck.

"Well, yea, I do… a lot, but I mean, she just like killed those people without any hesitation," Chuck nervously rambles as he stands up. "I don't get it El. She seemed so nice and all, but she killed them in cold blood," he nervously paces around the room as he tries to figure out who Sarah really is.

"Chuck," Ellie stops him in his tracks as she looks into his deep brown eyes filled with worry and confusion.

Sarah went through rigorous training in the CIA. She not only learned how to kill someone in over two hundred ways, but she was taught how to build a tolerance to numerous toxins and drugs, morphine being one of them. She can faintly hear Chuck's voice along with a female voice. Sarah focuses on her sense of hearing as the mumbled voices clear up and she can finally make out the words. She quickly realizes Chuck is speaking with his sister, Ellie. Sarah calmly lets her body rest in a comatose-like state as she can barely move from the effects of the morphine and just lays there with her eyes closed and her ears open.

"You can't just assume you know everything from just a few days. Maybe those people were bad?" Ellie suggests as she just wants to calm Chuck down.

"I don't know," Chuck sighs. "She's kind of scary though. The way she just murdered those men… Murdered them right in front of our eyes." His voice wavers with fear, "I've never seen someone get more injured than a scrap on the knee."

"I know," Ellie smiles sadly at her brother. "I don't know what to think either. Just don't jump to conclusions. There could be a reasonable explanation for all this."

"Okay," Chuck nods sadly as he understands but his mind keeps thinking up horrible explanations about her being a psychotic killer or mass murderer.

Sarah's heart feels like it just turned black and no longer wants to beat. Chuck is scared of her. _How could Chuck ever like someone he is scared of?_ She has never felt so heartbroken and depressed in her life. _Chuck wouldn't want me,_ she thinks despondently. _He thinks I'm just a murderer._ She uses her immobile state to devise the hardest plan she has ever had to think up. Her heart continues to split with every detail and thought of the outcome of it until she finally falls back asleep.

/

Sarah's eyes lightly flutter as the effects of the morphine pass. She tries to lift her head, but her neck is stiff as a rock. She looks around to see a small hospital room. Everything finally comes rushing back into her mind: the clinic, the three men, killing two of them, one of them fleeing, and finally Chuck kneeling over her with the most worried expression. She is about to smile at how much his worry conveyed caring about her until she remembers hearing him saying how she was scary and a murderer. Her heart sinks and she frowns until her eyes fall upon a curly mop of brown hair to her right. She realizes that it is Chuck slumped in a chair asleep with his left hand reached out and gently around her right hand. She finally feels the warmth flowing through her as it recharges her heart like a defibrillator. _Maybe he does still care about me,_ she thinks hopefully.

She slowly wiggles her toes and then lifts her knees as she shakes off the stiffness. She lifts her left arm until a searing pain runs through her upper left arm and into her brain. She winces and tightens her right hand into a fist to control the pain. She looks to her left and sees the bandage around her arm while the sleeve of her shirt was completely cut off.

"Sa… Sarah?" Chuck asks sleepily after being awoken by her change in grip on her right hand.

She looks over at Chuck to see him lift his head and stare at her in shock and surprise.

Chuck's eyes widen to saucers at how beautiful she looks. Without an ounce of makeup or hair styling and she looks absolutely adorable. Her tussled blonde hair is lopsided to her right and a little over her right eye, revealing her left ear. _Wow,_ is all Chuck could think for a brief second. He has to fight the urge to just hold her tightly with relief that she is alright. "How're you feeling?" Chuck asks as a small smile forms on his face. "Is your arm in pain, I mean I can get you some more morphine or something." Chuck rambles on.

Sarah grins at how adorable his ramblings are and finally diffuses his explosion of questions, "I'm fine."

"I'm glad," he says with pure truth and sincerity as he gazes lovingly at her. He quickly breaks the trance and nervously leans back. "Good, good. I'm glad you're alright. You kind of scared me there for a second but Ellie and Devon, they saved you, they were amazing. You should've seen it. They—"

"Chuck," she smiles widely as she cuts off yet another ramble, "you're rambling again."

"Oh, yea, um, Sorry," Chuck smiles disarmingly. "I tend to do that when I'm nervous."

"You have nothing to be nervous about," she states as disarmingly as she could with a soothing tone.

"Yea," Chuck sighs as the sight of watching her kill those two men in cold blood replays in his mind. "I, I guess you're right," he tries to act calm but struggles.

Sarah can tell he is scared or nervous and knows he is lying about saying everything is alright. She knows he probably has so many questions and deflection isn't going to work anymore. She's going to have to explain everything or at least most of it, which is just going to scare him away more. She has always been ashamed of her past as it has only gotten worse in the last couple years. She feels like her time with Chuck has been the happiest days of her life.

"Do you need help standing up?" He asks sincerely.

"Sure," she smiles at him. Even though he is completely frightened by her, he is still being the gentleman she is quickly falling for.

He outstretches his palm while she turns into a sitting position with her legs dangling off the side of the cot. She sees her bare feet protruding from her pant legs and immediately misses the socks as her feet haven't exactly gotten the best treatment over the last two years. She shakes off the thought and takes Chuck's hand as she slides off the bed. As her feet touch the cold tiles of the floor she eases her weight onto the balls of her feet and finally onto her heels. Chuck carefully maneuvers his hands to orbit around her just in case she stumbles.

She takes her first shaky step as if she is a baby learning to walk for the first time by using her left leg first. As she puts all the weight on her left and weaker leg, she starts to stumble and falls right into Chuck's arms. He catches her with comforting arms that wrap around her and hold her tight while she wraps her arms around him to hold herself. Her face ends up against the upper part of his chest and she squeezes tighter around him to pull herself up. "Are you alright?" Chuck asks without letting go of his hold on her.

"I'm fine, just a little rusty," she looks up at him with a small smile. Fine, she could've probably walked with no problem, but how could she deny being in his arms for just a few seconds?

"Watch your arm," Chuck states as he helps pull her to a fully erect position. "Ellie and Devon said to take it easy for a day or two."

"Thanks," Sarah grins shyly. "I will. Um, you wouldn't happen to have another pair of socks, would you? I kind of like the feeling of them." She looks down at the ground shyly before looking up towards Chuck with her head still down, "It feels like I'm walking on clouds."

"No problem," Chuck smiles widely. _This cannot be the same woman who killed two men and almost a third in the blink of an eye,_ Chuck ponders at how genuinely sweet and shy Sarah is right now.

"A little help," Sarah asks as she tries to walk on her own.

Chuck finally comes out of his own world and wraps his left arm around her waist and lets her right arm use his shoulders as support. Chuck is completely aware of how close he is to Sarah now and how much of him is against her as his heart starts beating faster almost instantly.

"Thanks," Sarah mumbles as she grins widely away from Chuck. Again, she could probably walk on her own but having Chuck hold her feels so much more satisfying as his left palm nearly on his stomach is melting right through her shirt with such a warm touch.

They both walk out in the same position; Chuck carefully leading Sarah through the clinic. Ellie and Devon see them and Ellie smiles a huge smile at how adorable they look together. Ellie cannot be happier as Chuck's arm is around Sarah and her arm is over his shoulders. "Hey guys," Devon says in a welcoming tone. "How're you feeling Sarah?"

"I'm alright," Sarah grins subtly. "Thank you for saving me."

"No problem," Devon smiles brightly. "You're just lucky that you were here. You can bleed out in less than a minute from arterial tears."

"I tore my artery?" Sarah's eyes widen. She knows a little about anatomy like where to incapacitate someone without killing them, and arteries are one of the easiest ways to kill someone. She would always go for the carotid, as it was easiest to find and causes the victim to drown in their own blood too, but all of them essentially work the same way: they bleed to death.

"Well, nicked it, but we were able to stitch it back together in enough time. Just take it easy and don't strain yourself."

"I won't," Sarah smiles gratefully.

"Chuck will help you if you need *anything*," Devon conspicuously winks at Chuck. Chuck widens his eyes in disbelief at the unsubtle double entendre.

_Are you trying to get me killed?_ Chuck tries to ask using only his eyes at how obviously sexual Devon's statement was.

Sarah pretends to ignore the remark. She knows how boys think. She's actually surprised Chuck hasn't tried to make any moves on her. Yes, his hand is around her waist but he is just trying to help out a friend. She doesn't realize how fast his heart really is beating just from him holding her in the position they are in now. He is surprised that his heart is still fluttering at touching her. Can he really be falling for a possible murderer?

"Speaking of which," Chuck says slightly bitter as he narrows his eyes at Devon, "I haven't eaten lunch yet and I thought maybe you were hungry, Sarah."

"Sounds good," she smiles at him before they leave for the kitchen.

/

Chuck and Sarah are sitting at the table eating their food quietly. Chuck's mind is reeling about the events earlier in the day while Sarah's mind is drudging the inevitable question on Chuck's mind. "Sarah?" Chuck asks as he looks across the table at her.

"Hmm?" she mumbles as she knows what's coming next.

"About earlier," Chuck tries to find the safest words to describe it.

"I know," Sarah sighs dreadfully. "I killed those men."

"Yea," Chuck says quickly, hoping she will continue to explain.

"You have to understand, I was only trying to protect you guys," Sarah explains with as much truth as possible.

"Who were they?" Chuck interjects. "You said they were bad, but I don't know…"

"They were," Sarah states quietly. "They would've killed all of you."

"What?" Chuck's eyes widen slightly.

"They would've taken Ellie and, and," Sarah pauses as the thought formulates in her mind, "they would rape her. Make her their own sex slave."

Chuck's eyes widen to saucers as he flinches back. Anger builds inside him at just the thought of anyone harming his sister, let alone touching her. "How, how do you know this?"

"Because I," Sarah swallows as she hates the thought of talking about it.

"They, they took you?" Chuck asks with utter fear as he instinctually reaches across the table and holds her hands. "They raped you?"

"No," Sarah relishes in the warmth of his hands at such a dark memory of her depressing life as she drudges on with her explanation. "I was never raped, but they forced me to, to fight," Sarah hangs her head.

"Is that how…?" Chuck asks softly.

"Yes," Sarah nods without looking up. Tears start to form in her eyes. "The horrific scars."

"They're not that bad," Chuck states with pure truth in his tone as he gives her an affectionate squeeze of her hands.

"You don't have to patronize me," Sarah smiles sadly as she looks up at Chuck.

"I'm not," Chuck states seriously. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Now I know you're lying," Sarah scoffs with a sardonic laugh.

"Why do you think so lowly of yourself?" Chuck asks incredulously. Chuck drops his head and looks to the side shamefully, "you remind me of myself."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asks soothingly as she leans forward in surprise. She gives him a gentle squeeze of his hands to lurch him on.

"I, it's nothing," Chuck stumbles on his own words as he doesn't want to talk about it. "I, she betrayed me. That's all."

"Jill?" Sarah asks as she remembers Ellie bringing up the name.

"How do you know?" Chuck asks in surprise as his eyes widen.

"Ellie mentioned the name in passing. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Sarah asks genuinely. She cannot imagine anyone hurting such a gentle soul. Chuck has been nothing but sincere, nice, gentle, friendly, helpful, caring, and a whole bunch of other complimentary adjectives.

"No," Chuck shakes his head. "It would just bore you anyways. Plus, the restraining order's clear and I have to stay at least one hundred and fifty feet away," Chuck smiles brightly at the joke.

"No wonder you're here in Thailand," Sarah grins brightly.

"Yep," Chuck shifts in his seat as his smile fades.

"You want to ask, huh?" Sarah sighs as she knows what's going through his mind.

"Can I?" Chuck asks softly. Just by the tone, Sarah can tell that Chuck would completely drop the subject if she says no.

"Go ahead," she nods subtly.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Chuck asks without releasing her hands.

_CIA training,_ Sarah wants to tell him but knows that it isn't prudent. "You learn quickly when your life is on the line," Sarah smirks subtly even though she hates lying to him, but doesn't want to scare him away.

"But you just… killed them."

"They deserved it," Sarah says seriously. "Do you know how many people they've tormented? Raped? Murdered? They all deserved as gruesome a death as you can imagine. What I did was justice; cold, hard justice. I'm not going to lie to you and say I shouldn't have, because I don't regret it. The only thing I regret is letting that last one get away." Sarah then hangs her head despondently, "And you seeing me do that. I never wanted to have to do that again, especially in front of you." She whispers the last part under her breath.

Chuck watches how hard she is struggling with the demons inside her. She hates how her life has turned out and he can tell that she is struggling to live with what she has had to do in her past. Chuck doesn't know what to say, but he wants to comfort her. Something inside him is telling him to hold this woman close to him and never let her go, never let her fall to the demons inside her. "I trust you Sarah," Chuck states softly but in a tone that doesn't leave any room for second-guessing.

Chuck doesn't know the underlying impact of the words he just stated. In Sarah's world, trust is a rarity that most partners don't even gain. She trusted her partners once and that didn't go well. She found a transmitter in her partner's boot and lost trust ever since. They quickly grew apart and the team was split up and reassigned. She was never even able to fully trust Bryce Larkin. He just always had an aura of narcissism. She did care for him personally, but there was always a certain gap between them.

"Thank you Chuck," Sarah smiles subtly. "But with that one man escaping, I have put you all in danger. And I'm sorry for that. It wasn't my intention and once I've stopped them. I will be gone and will never have to put you in danger again." Sarah's heart breaks at the last few words. The last thing she wants to do is leave Chuck, but he's scared of her and danger always follows her. It's only fair. She hasn't done anything in her life to deserve such an amazing man to love her for whom she is.

Chuck feels a painful twist in his heart at her words. He doesn't want her to leave. In all honesty, he has never had so much fun with someone he just met. He knew the ecstatic high he was on from spending time with her was going to fade at some point, but this just deflated it. But if it is her decision, he doesn't have the right to deny her of her own rights.

**/**

**I keep amazing myself with finishing these chapters on time. Now, I'm almost certain there will be a break in the usual schedule of my updates. I swear when I first said I was taking a break, I didn't expect to have been able to write this many more chapters, so I wasn't trying to lie to you. I just somehow found the time to write up the chapter. I hope the artery explains how the all and mighty Sarah Walker could be downed by a single bullet shot to the arm. Otherwise, I would call BS on that too.**

**Please review.**


	13. Defensive Techniques 101

**I'm sorry for the break. I had to move and do other stuff that took up my time. I hope the break wasn't so long that you forgot about this story. Thanks for all the reviews. They are amazing and I love to read them. It is like the first thing I check when I wake up. They really do mean a lot to me. This chapter has a bit of adult language but very, very minimal; maybe just one line.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

The first thing Chuck notices as Sarah gets back from showering and changing clothes is she is beautiful. Chuck, Ellie, and Devon are gathered around a round table as their minds are swimming with fear, confusion, and curiosity. "Thanks for letting me borrow more clothes, Ellie," Sarah says rather shyly as she walks towards them. "And I'm sorry about bloodying the other one," Sarah states in barely over a mumble as she looks down shamefully.

"It's not a problem," Ellie smiles sadly at how depressed Sarah is acting over something as simple as a shirt. "The blood will come out with some bleach and now it will be a unique style with only one sleeve," Ellie mirthfully jokes much to Sarah's relief.

Sarah flashes a brief smile before her brow thickens with seriousness and her smile fades to a very subtle frown. "What did you guys do with the bodies?" Sarah asks as her agent persona makes a rather rare appearance.

"Bodies?" Devon furrows his brow.

"The two men I killed," Sarah clarifies, but immediately regrets her words as she sees Chuck tense slightly in the corner of her eye. She hates what she has become and can tell Chuck hates it too. Chuck couldn't want a murderer like her.

"I dragged them around back to hide them from the other patients. I wasn't sure if we should bury them or not," Devon explains with a slight shiver. He has seen a dead body before, but it was creepy carrying the dead weight himself.

"Let them rot," Sarah spits out with hate. "What did you do with their guns?"

"Why?" Chuck asks shakily and worriedly.

"Because we're gonna need all the firepower we can get," Sarah explains like it is the simplest task.

"I've never shot a gun before," Chuck protests with slight hesitation. "I've never even intentionally hurt someone before." Chuck was probably the most passive person ever. Even when he was expelled from Stanford after his 'best friend' set him up, he didn't even fight back. He was never great with intimidation or brute strength, but words; words always came easy to him. He was a bit of a silver tongue when it came to weaseling his way out of sticky situations and confrontations.

"We're doctors, "Devon points between himself and Ellie. "We took an oath not to knowingly harm another human being."

You could say Sarah was frustrated with their responses, but she didn't show it. She calmly sighed and then looked between the three conspirators, "I understand that you don't want to do this," she bows her head shamefully, "and I'm sorry for bringing this on you," she looks back up with determination, "but I cannot do this alone."

Chuck feels the odd sensation of wanting to hold Sarah in his arms again. He hates seeing her despondent and hates how she is putting everything on her shoulders. "What do you need me to do?" Chuck asks like a soldier reporting for duty with a confidence he didn't know existed inside him.

Sarah glances at Chuck with a thankful expression and he nods subtly with a small grin. "Well, these people aren't exactly… intellectual, so they will probably just try to shoot us into surrendering. Right now, we have four handguns, three assault rifles with one extra magazine. That means a handgun for each of us."

"I, I can't do this," Ellie shakes her head fearfully. "I'm not going to willingly shoot someone."

Sarah expected resistance, but she is going to have to pull out all the stops for this one. "I know you hate guns," Sarah states in a soothing tone. "I do too, but they are a defense mechanism. I'm not asking you to unload on innocent people. These people are savages. They're horrible people that don't deserve to live. You're doing the world a favor to rid them of this earth. Do you know how many people they've murdered? Raped? Don't think of yourselves as killing, but as defending your patients. Your job is to keep them alive and that is what you're doing. These people wouldn't hesitate to kill each and every one of them just to get us to surrender. They have no remorse and that is why *we* need to stop them."

"Al… alright," Ellie quietly agrees with a tiny nod.

Sarah hates herself for doing this but it really is the only way. She knows these savagery people want her and her only so she always has plan B to fall back on: Save Chuck, his family, and the patients in exchange for her freedom.

"Thank you," Sarah gently takes Ellie's hand as she stares into Ellie's brown eyes. Ellie just nods quietly without breaking eye contact. Sarah then looks at Devon to gage his answer.

"Can't we call the police? If these people are as bad as you say they are, then the authorities would stop them, right?" Devon asks hopefully.

"This isn't Beverly Hills," Sarah states completely serious with no hint of humor in her tone. "This is Thailand. These people have very minimal effect on the main cities here so the authorities could care less about a little drug dealing and a fighting ring."

"I guess it would be against my oath if I didn't at least try to protect my patients," Devon states softly as he fights with himself to join Sarah's cause. Sarah's side wins the blitzkrieg so he looks at Sarah with determination, "What do you need us to do?"

Sarah struggles not to smile at how these three people are putting all their trust in her. She has never actually commanded her own *squad* before, but it feels good to have such loyal teammates. "Thank you guys," Sarah makes sure to look at each one of them in the eyes. "It will be a couple days before they come back with reinforcements so we need to plan. Do you have anything flammable or explosive?"

/

Devon opens up a cabinet while Sarah, Ellie, and Chuck gather around it. The cabinet doors open to reveal five bottles of hydrogen peroxide, five bottles of rubbing alcohol, a spool of very thin silk wire intended for stitching wounds, multiple rolls of gauze, three bottles of adhesive glue, and multiple types of scalpels and other medical utensils.

"This, we can use," Sarah informs them as she looks over all the different materials. Her mind is already thinking of the multiple ways to use the materials to defend themselves. A devious smile quickly overtakes her adorably beautiful facial features.

/

Sarah is formulating a plan on how to gain an advantage over the enemies. There are the blueprints for the clinic and the surrounding area on the round table in front of her. She is looking for choke points and other advantageous obstacles. Chuck notices how engrossed she is by the way she is leaning over the blueprints with her hands gripping the table tightly; her knuckles as white as paper. "Need any help?" Chuck asks sincerely.

Sarah tenses for a slight impregnable second as she drops her hands quickly towards her holstered pistol before relaxing at the sight of Chuck. "Sorry," she smiles slightly embarrassingly, "you startled me. What did you ask?"

"It's just, if you need some help or someone to bounce ideas off, I can help," Chuck smiles welcomingly.

"Sure," Sarah smiles at how generous Chuck is being and how goofy he looks with the assault rifle strapped to his side. "I'm looking for ways to funnel them together," Sarah explains.

"So, like killing two birds with one stone," Chuck grins as he takes a look at the blueprints.

"Exactly," Sarah smiles at how calm Chuck is acting right now.

"Well, I don't know which way they would most likely approach from," Chuck informs Sarah.

"From the south," Sarah answers instantly.

"Okay… well, we do have the thin silk wire we can use to tie these two trees," Chuck points at a spot on the surrounding area of the clinic. "Maybe make a type of tripwire that we attach to a bell as a sort of warning?" Chuck shrugs at the end as he tries to gain the Sarah Walker seal of approval in Defensive Techniques 101.

"That's… that's actually very smart," Sarah is pleasantly surprised at how helpful Chuck is. She didn't expect someone so innocent to think of such smart tactics. Sure, it was a passive idea, but she can work in her own mix to the spice up the idea.

"I have my moments," Chuck gives her his full smile.

_That damn smile,_ she thinks as it always causes her insides to turn to mush. _Maybe I should just kiss it away_, she thinks ironically although she kind of wishes that they were in a real relationship that she could do that without any kind of awkwardness. "So, we can set up a perimeter and that way we will know if they're coming," Sarah grins at Chuck. "Any more bright ideas, Mr. Mastermind?" Sarah playfully nudges Chuck like they are best of friends.

Chuck grins back at her, but she can tell he is holding something back as if there is something bothering him. Sarah disregards the trepidation quickly. Chuck's insides warm up the instant her elbow touches his side. Then Chuck's memory reminds him that she is going to be leaving for good and he will never see her again. "I'll have you know that I was only a few credits away from graduating Stanford," Chuck states in a mock conceited tone.

"Why didn't you finish?" Sarah asks curiously. If he was so close, what could've possibly caused him to give up on it?

"I, I was expelled for having stolen test answers under my bed," Chuck lowers his head as his tone turns sullen.

"Did you steal them?" Sarah asks curiously. Chuck seems like the most innocent person who would never think about disobeying the law.

"I thought it was kind of implied that I was a pretty decent guy," Chuck scoffs as he tries to joke, but she can see and feel the pain behind his tone and eyes. Just from gauging his response, she can tell that this was a huge deciding factor in how his life has turned out.

"If it's any constellation, I believe you," Sarah states with pure truth as she looks into his eyes and softly lays her hand on his.

"Thank you," Chuck smiles subtly. "It does mean a lot," he says truthfully. Chuck doesn't know exactly what it is, but he absolutely loves spending time with Sarah. In an unexplainable way, she makes him feel more confident and happy. He hasn't felt this confident since he was with Jill back in college five years ago. "Sadly," Chuck grins brightly, "Stanford doesn't have a class about shooting and setting up traps, so I have no idea what I'm doing." He finishes with a bright smile that Sarah returns.

"Well, I'd rate you an A- so far," Sarah says jovially.

"Minus?" Chuck jokingly whines. "What did I do wrong, great Professor?"

"You wanted to set up an alarm system instead of explosive mines," Sarah gives him a toothy grin.

"How're you gonna do that?" Chuck asks with awe and curiosity.

"Just a little hydrogen peroxide," Sarah smiles brightly.

"How's that work exactly? Isn't that for disinfecting cuts?"

"Yes, but if we drench the wire in it, it should easily combust into flames when the peroxide makes contact with the dry, dead leaves and grass," Sarah finishes her explanation with a small victorious grin.

"Wow," Chuck's eyebrows rise at her explanation. "How're you so smart?" Chuck asks impulsively because he is in complete surprise at how intellectual she is. He didn't realize it came out until it was too late.

"I may or may not have gone to Harvard," Sarah playfully sways on the balls of her feet.

"Harvard?" Chuck looks at her in a new light. He always knew she was fairly intellectual, but damn, she must be smarter than him. "And I thought I was smart for going to Stanford," Chuck grins goofily with a scoff.

"You are smart," she tells him truthfully. "Plus, I wasn't always in attendance, so I'm sure I missed most of it."

"A party girl, huh?" Chuck smirks knowingly.

Sarah's eyes flash for an instant with fear as she feels a painful tinge in her chest. _Now Chuck is going to think I'm a complete slut who would only party, drink, and sleep with anyone who asks,_ Sarah thinks worriedly. She so badly wants to tell him the truth that she was constantly going away for CIA training but that would give her cover away.

"Not a party girl," Sarah declares with her hand up and palm towards Chuck like she is under oath. "I just had other obligations to attend to." _At least that wasn't a complete lie,_ Sarah thinks halfheartedly. She never was a party girl. She devoted herself towards the CIA almost the instant they approached her in high school. She didn't waste her time with boys that she would regret later on, and just immersed herself into the CIA world as it was the only thing bright left in her future back then.

"Say no more," Chuck smiles charmingly at her. He is just content with learning more history about the enigmatic Sarah Walker. _She went to Harvard,_ Chuck replays in his mind happily. _She's super smart and super gorgeous._ "So," Chuck changes the subject, much to Sarah's relief, "we'll have a defense perimeter set up. That's good but I think we're going to need more traps."

"What did you have in mind?" Sarah asks as she looks at the gears churning in Chuck's head.

/

Chuck is fashioning sharp spikes using one of the now four combat knives to give them all finely sharp points. Devon is cutting tunnels through large branches that the spikes will be able to fit into with another combat knife. Sarah is finding the best alignment and placement for the trap. She knows that it needs to be hidden so they don't see it coming but it still needs to be in an effective spot that the enemies will for certain walk through.

"This is so Predator-like," Chuck muses with a big smile on his face. "Making traps like this."

"I know what you mean, bro," Devon grins at Chuck before continuing work.

Chuck dawns his best Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger accent, "You're one… *ugly* mother fucker." Chuck and Devon both laugh at Chuck's perfect recital of the quote from the movie _Predator_. "Get to the choppa!" Chuck mimics Schwarzenegger's accent to the teeth.

"If it bleeds, we can kill it," Devon joins in the festivities by quoting another Schwarzenegger line in the same accent. Chuck and Devon both break out into a fit of laughter.

Sarah watches the two men in fascination. They seem to be having so much fun with this. She expected so much more resistance and hesitation, but they are acting so jovial. She doesn't even know what Predator is. Obviously, she knows the literal meaning of someone who hunts others, as she had been called a predator (not in a sexual sense either) before, but she doesn't really know what they're talking about. Luckily, she can make out the accent because it is very unique and she knows Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor of California. She so badly wants to be part of their fun but she doesn't want to humiliate herself by not knowing anything to join in the festivities. This is the first time she really feels like she's missed out on her childhood years. She has been all business and no play, which causes jealousy to rise inside her because of Chuck and Devon.

"How do these look?" Chuck asks Sarah, breaking her from her thoughts. He is holding up two spikes he's finished sharpening.

"Oh, um, those look great Chuck," Sarah smiles at him.

"And they're gonna fit right… in… there," Chuck fits them both into the holes Devon has been making. Now the branch of wood looks like half of a Venus fly trap. All they need is some adhesive to secure the spikes into the holes.

"Exactly," Sarah finds herself smiling more and more often when Chuck is involved. It finally dawns on her that she will never see him again after this defensive stand and her smile falters. She quickly turns away from Chuck as her heart stings with pain. She doesn't know why it hurts or what the sensations she is feeling are. She just knows that she is going to miss him a lot; more than she has ever missed anyone before.

/

Sarah is standing by the designated 'Round Table' Chuck so aptly named because of its circular shape. She is going over their plans and where the traps have been set. The entire clinic is surrounded by the trip wires. The south side has five different points where the hydrogen peroxide is delicately placed and hidden from the naked eye. The rest of the trip wires are connected to multiple bell systems that each direction has a different sound to alert them. The Venus fly trap is set up in some shrubbery just outside the clinic's front doors. The rubbing alcohol is already set up in each person's defensive position with a liter and some gauze. Sarah is taking the lower floor just next to the front door. Chuck is also on the lower floor on the other side of the front door. Ellie and Devon are both on the second floor looking over the south side of the complex. Sarah knows that having a height advantage would be most helpful for her, but she cannot risk the enemies getting into the complex and hurting anyone. She cannot let anyone get injured for her sake. She doesn't want to feel responsible and she would hate herself if someone was harmed because of her.

Chuck stands across from her, which breaks her from her quickly becoming depressing thoughts. "How's everything going, Knight Sarah?" Chuck asks with a big smile on his face.

"What?" Sarah furrows his brow.

"Because we're at the round table and that's where King Arthur's knights formed up… Never mind," Chuck waives his hand awkwardly. "Just forget I said anything."

Sarah smiles as she quickly realizes the joke. At least she was in school for that elementary adventure in mythology. "I'm just thinking about our plans, Knight Chuck," she smiles brightly at him; brilliant teeth and all making an appearance.

Her smile dazes him while melting his heart to mush. It is the single greatest sight to see Sarah smile. All Chuck can think is she is beautiful.

"Chuck?" She calls for the third time, breaking his stupor. She is staring at him with a furrowed brow and her head slightly tilted.

"What? Yea, I'm here," Chuck stammers out awkwardly.

Sarah lets out a tiny giggle and Chuck's mind can only think of one thing before his heart melts again, _not again_.

Silence falls on them, much to Chuck's safety as his heart slowly reconstructs itself. He finally feels his heart completely there and all the perks that come with it: breathing, feeling, thinking, talking. "Sarah?" Chuck asks softly, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" She looks up at him with heightened eyebrows.

"Do you think we have a chance?" Chuck asks worriedly. "Will we make it out alive?"

"Yes," Sarah answers instantly, but her mind knows that their odds are slim. Four people with limited ammo holding out against possibly a whole militia sounds like suicide. She doesn't know how many troops the Boss is willing to relinquish on her, but if it is all of them, then they might as well be stripped nude and raped in the ass already. At least that's Ellie's fate if they don't stop these monsters. Chuck and Devon will most likely be killed with a bullet to the head, unless the Boss is feeling extra demented and puts one in their kneecaps first. Sarah will most likely be forced back into fighting for the Boss' entertainment and income. "We will stop them Chuck. Then I will be gone and never have to endanger you again." It still breaks her heart to say it, but she believes it's the only solution.

Chuck's heart blackens at hearing her say that she will be gone. He hates the thought of never seeing her again because he was having the most fun he's had in years, possibly his entire life. And that is because of her. Chuck knows it's now or never and musters up all the courage he can. "Don't go," he states seriously.

"What?" Sarah's brow furrows deeply at the surprising request.

"I… I don't want you to go," Chuck's hardened resolve quickly crumbles as fear and nervousness saps the courage from him. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with someone else. And, and I like you… a lot. Please don't go," Chuck pleads with all his heart.

Sarah watches in complete awe at Chuck's confession. She doesn't really know how to react to it. No one has said those words to her with such meaning before. A palpable silence falls upon them. As Sarah's mind runs wild with different possible responses, Chuck's mind quickly fears that she doesn't like him and causes pain to grow in his chest.

"I…" Sarah finally speaks. "I want to stay, but I can't," she finishes in a weak, pained tone. "I have to go."

"Why?" Chuck asks as he stares into her mesmerizing blue eyes.

"It's too dangerous for me to be here. I don't want to put you in anymore danger than I already have," Sarah responds as truthfully as possible as she feels that that is the only way to keep Chuck safe. And she would do anything to ensure Chuck's safety.

"How is it too dangerous?" Chuck asks incredulously as her line of thinking makes no sense to him. Frustration grows in him that she would deny something that she said she wanted himself. Doesn't she realize that she would be hurting both of them?

"It just is," Sarah responds lamely for lack of a better excuse. Truthfully, she doesn't feel like she deserves someone as great as Chuck in her life.

In the past, Chuck may have accepted a similar excuse, but this is something he has never wanted so badly in his life. He doesn't just want her to stay, he needs her to stay. He's never been an aggressive person but the pain she is causing him and the fact that she'd rather cause pain to herself than give herself happiness pushes him over the edge. "You're telling me that you're some kind of beacon of danger?" Chuck asks sarcastically with a bitter tone. "That danger follows you everywhere you go and harms the people you're around? Please," Chuck shakes his head with narrowed eyes, "if you don't want to be here, that's fine. Just don't lie to me. If you have friends or family to get home to then fine, but please… don't lie to me," Chuck finishes with even more bitterness in his tone as he looks away from her in almost a distasted fashion.

Sarah is completely caught off-guard by Chuck's aggressiveness. She has never seen such passion in her life. All that passion is for her. It scares her, but excites her too. Someone as amazing as Chuck cares that much about her? She so badly just wants to tell him everything: that she has no friends, no family, no occupation, no obligations to get back home, wherever home might be. "I don't," Sarah says in barely a whisper. She has never felt so much emotional pain in her life. When her mother left her, she didn't feel this hurt. When her father was arrested, she didn't feel this hurt.

Chuck looks at her as his hardened facial features soften at hearing the immense pain and struggle in her voice.

"I don't have anyone," she stares at the ground shamefully as her voice takes on an ever more pained tone. "I… you're the closest thing to a friend I've ever had. I'm all alone." Sarah always knew she had nobody significant in her life, but it has never hit so close to home before now. And it's hitting like a freight train.

Chuck's heart breaks more than he knew was possible. It's not because she is leaving, but because she is so disheartened. Chuck hates seeing people gloomy, but the woman he immensely cares about depressed is the hardest thing he has ever had to endure; expulsion from Stanford and Jill breaking up with him included. Again, that odd yet comfortable feeling of wanting to hold Sarah in his arms affects him greatly. Chuck doesn't know what came over him, but he is suddenly holding her in his arms in an intimate hug.

She instantly molds herself to him with her head on his shoulder while her arms dangle lifelessly along her sides. She has never felt so comfortable before. No one has ever just held her like he is; comforted her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. His warm hands are gently around her back with one holding her shoulder to him while the other holds her waist to him. Her mind quickly forgets why he's hugging her but she could care less. She just wants to spend the rest of her life inside the safe, secure arms of Chuck.

"You're not alone," Chuck informs her sweetly as he continues to hold her in his arms. She burrows her head into him a little more at the caring gesture. "Please stay," Chuck whispers softly to her. "I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either," Sarah says even softer than Chuck. She slowly brings her arms around him and pulls herself tighter to him. "But I'm afraid. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."

"It won't," Chuck states with a strong resolve as he gently brushes some hair from her face and behind her ear. A single tear escapes her eye; a tear of relief, fear, excitement, worry, safety, pain, and love. They stay in this position for minutes as Sarah just revels in Chuck's warmth and safeness while Chuck holds the woman his mind can easily say he loves in his arms as she warms his core. She is beautiful.

**/**

**You know that I'm sorry for taking that break, but it was essentially inevitable. Now, that I'm finished moving, I should be able to get back up to full speed with my updates… but once again, no promises on that. I hope you liked the Charah and it wasn't too forward. As always, I'm open to any suggestions.**

**Please review.**


	14. Fighting a Losing Battle

**Thanks for the reviews and thank you for the warm welcoming back. I hope the break wasn't too harsh. It was only a week after all. Fairly long chapter, but that isn't something to complain about. There will be some violence and action, but surprisingly, it isn't as gory as it usually is.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Sarah and Chuck finally break their loving embrace and their eyes lock as they lean back. Chuck watches the swirling oceans that calm him and make him content. Sarah stares into the chocolate swirls of Chuck's eyes as she finds security and a place to call home. "We should probably get some sleep. We need to be physically prepared," Sarah says, breaking them from their gazes.

"Good idea," Chuck says softly as his mind slowly clears up after the emotional, yet warm feeling of holding Sarah in his arms. Chuck gives her a small grin before turning around. "Goodnight Sarah." Chuck makes it to the door before something inside Sarah controls her like a ventriloquist controlling their puppet.

"Chuck?" She asks shyly. She has never acted so human in her life, but now she wants everything. It only took one man to show her how badly she has always wanted it. She never realized before Chuck that she could want this, but now she has her definitive answer and she is absolutely positive.

"Yea, Sarah?" Chuck asks as he turns around while still at the doorframe.

"Can… Can I," she struggles to say the words as the vulnerability is so foreign to her. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" She asks extremely shyly in a tiny voice as she cannot hold eye contact with Chuck. She absolutely loves the feeling of being in his arms and this could be the last chance she has. What's wrong with indulging in one last pleasure before approaching head-on into a shit storm?

"I'd like that, Sarah," Chuck says with the tiniest hint of a smile, but his tone is completely truthful. He shows no sign of feeling victorious or conceited because she wants to spend the night with him.

She gives him a small smile where her two front teeth just barely peek out from her upper lip. "Let me just clean up in here real quick." She is secretly unequivocally giddy inside. She is going to spend what could be her last night of life in Chuck's arms; the man who has shown her that she can still have a life with someone who loves her for who she really is.

/

Chuck walks into the living quarters and sees Ellie and Devon asleep in each other's arms. He smiles at how perfect they are for each other. He has never seen two people love each other more and he couldn't be happier for his sister. Most brothers are protective of their sisters and usually have an instinctual hatred towards their sister's lover, but Chuck has no such gripe. Devon is the perfect gentleman. He doesn't even notice other woman as if Ellie is the only one who exists for him. Devon is truly awesome.

Chuck strips down to his boxers and an undershirt before sliding his feet into his bed and trying to get comfortable under the comforter. His mind is racing with thoughts of Sarah being in his bed tonight. A small part of him is worried she won't show up at all, but most of him is fearing that he might accidentally do something to mess it up. What if he touches her in a spot that makes her resent him? What if his self-control isn't what it used to be? She's the most gorgeous person he has ever seen after all.

Chuck tries his best to get comfortable in the bed, but he can't. Something is missing. He doesn't know what it is, but he is absolutely restless. As he kicks his legs to try to get comfortable, he notices Sarah step into the room. She is beautiful. "Hey," Chuck says quietly with an awed smile. He doesn't want to wake up Ellie or Devon.

"Hey," Sarah responds in a similarly quieted tone. She walks up to the bed next to him. She can feel his eyes on her the entire time but it doesn't bother her. She removes her shoes and undoes her shirt. She cannot remember the last time she slept without a shirt, but now just feels like the best time. Chuck will keep her warm after all and she still has the bra on so she won't cause anyone to have to avert their eyes.

Chuck's eyes widen at seeing her bare midriff; every muscle toned to perfection. Even her breasts hidden under the white bra are toned to perfection. The prominent tan lines are quickly becoming his favorite look, although he is sure any look would be amazing on Sarah. He can feel his heart rate increase and his heart start beating in his throat.

Sarah continues to strip after laying the shirt nicely on her bed. She then unbuttons the top of her pants and slides down the zipper. With every click of the zipper, Chuck's heart rate spikes ten beats per minute. She slides the pants down slowly. As they bundle around her ankles, she bends forward to remove them from her feet giving Chuck a picture-perfect view of her toned, tight little ass. He may usually be gentlemanlike but there is no way of averting his eyes from such a gorgeous site.

Chuck's heart is beating so fast that he is afraid he's going to have a heart attack and die. But what a way to die: to see Sarah Walker bent over in a white bra and white panties.

Sarah is fully aware of what she is doing to him. She may not fully realize the extent she is affecting him, but she can tell he is not exactly restful and puts a large smile on her face. She lays the pants next to the bed and turns towards Chuck with a small smile of content on her face. She is beautiful. Chuck keeps his eyes on her eyes as he does his best to match her smile without grinning like a fool. He's about to hold Sarah in his arms as he sleeps. How is he not supposed grin like a fool? Chuck pulls the comforter down to give Sarah easier access to get into the bed.

Sarah instantly notices the shirt on Chuck's torso and feels a small tinge of disappointment. She doesn't want anything between them, but something that simple isn't going to deter her. Not after sleeping alone for the last two years, even if it felt like she was deprived the feeling of sleeping in someone else's arms her entire life. She sits high up on the bed and slides her legs through the tunnel Chuck has created by lifting the comforter up. She slides all the way in until her chest is at the same height as his.

She turns from her back onto her left side as she rolls to lie on top of Chuck. She hopes she isn't being too forward with him. Chuck seems like the man who would want to go on a few dates before sleeping with a woman. He would want to make sure that he has feelings for the woman and she has similar feelings for him. She couldn't see any one-night-stands in his past as he isn't that selfish. She circles her right arm around him and pulls herself closer to him.

Almost instantly, his left hand forms to her back and gently cradles her against him. The warmth of his bare hand on her bare back is excitingly calming. The height difference is perfect as Sarah uses the top of his shoulder and the side of his neck as a pillow. She burrows herself into him as she molds to every curve of his body. She slides her right leg up to wrap around his right leg. He can feel the softness of her sock, but the warm skin of her entire leg from panty down to her sock-cover ankle is somehow softer. The scars are completely forgotten as he has never been touched by something so soothing before. She is finally home.

Chuck is afraid to say anything as he knows his voice will betray him so he tries to keep quiet. So far, he has had enough self-control not to get too excited or to have a heart attack. He can still feel his heart beating a thousand miles a minute, but he cannot help it. He has Sarah Walker wrapped all around him.

"Chuck," Sarah whines quietly in an adorably soft tone. "I can feel your heart beating." She holds her hand over his chest where his heart lies. She gently fondles his entire pectoral muscle as she lets the beating of his heart course through her like another extremity of his body.

"Uh, sorry," Chuck panics as he thinks he blew it and she's going to leave. _That's it man, game over man, game over! I have to think fast,_ Chuck tells himself. "I, um… I'm just thinking about everything, you know?" _Not the best answer but at least it isn't exactly a lie,_ Chuck thinks ironically as 'everything' in his case is Sarah pressed flush against him and has nothing to do with the people most likely gearing up to attack them in the next day or so.

Sarah is pleasantly surprised how comfortable his heartbeat is to her. It's oddly comfortable as it quickly soothes her until her eyes want to shut and enjoy the greatest feeling of her life. "I do know," Sarah answers cryptically as she doesn't want to talk about what's in their immediate future. She just wants one night to remember the greatest moment of her life. "Goodnight Chuck," Sarah says softly as she keeps her hand on his heart, her head on the crook of his neck and shoulder, and her leg wrapped around his.

"Goodnight, Sarah," Chuck somehow gets out calmly. He doesn't know how he said it in such a calm manner but he is quite pleased with himself. Not even close to as pleased as having the privilege of holding Sarah in his arms for the night, but he is still pleasantly surprised.

Those two words were all Sarah needed to fall asleep; mixed with the warmth radiating from his skin, the soothing beating of his heart, and his arm holding her to him. The two words sent her over the edge to fall into a blissful slumber that can easily beat out any other time she has ever slept.

In what felt like seconds, Chuck can feel the rising and lowering of her back as her firm chest is pressed up against his. He can almost feel the outline of her nipples against him with just the thin shirt and bra separating their skin. He knows by the steady breathing she is already asleep. She passed out almost immediately and Chuck couldn't be happier. She is the warmest, most calming feeling ever. It is almost unexplainable how it feels. It isn't a warmth like having a blanket over you or wearing warm clothing. He cannot get too hot and start perspiring like those could cause, but his insides feel like they are glowing with warmth that makes him happy and he can never get sick of the feeling.

He shakes his head subtly as he cannot find a more rational way of describing it. He doesn't care. All that really matters is he has the woman he loves in his arms. Somehow, that thought alone puts his beating heart at ease and he calms to a peaceful rest. His eyelids start to get heavy and he isn't about to fight the losing battle against sleep. He plants a gentle kiss on the top of Sarah's head and lets his body and mind shutdown for the peaceful slumber.

/

Ellie wakes up without the assist of her alarm clock. She blames her earlier rise from slumber on everything that has happened in the last day or so… and no extracurricular activities with Devon last night. She was too worried to be turned on. She just wanted someone to hold her overnight and Devon was the perfect gentleman cradling her to sleep with his hands on her chest and stomach the entire night.

She turns and pulls herself out of the bed and notices Sarah's bed is empty. She furrows her brow as her first thought is that she just ran to save herself. She looks to Chuck as the thought of Sarah leaving would make him sad and she hates seeing him sad. Her eyes widen as she sees blonde tresses growing out of his chest. She steps closer to see Sarah's calm, peaceful, gorgeous face pressed against Chuck's chest.

Ellie's insides to turn gush as she holds back a squeal of happiness. She smiles at how perfect they are together. She has never seen two people look so in love before. Most sisters want what's best for their brother and build a unique skepticism to the person their brother takes a liking to, but not in this case. Ellie doesn't have a single gripe with Chuck being with Sarah. Sarah is sweet, gentle, sincere, beautiful, and she cares about Chuck. She truly is the perfect complement to Chuck.

Ellie admires them together as she finally can see that Chuck is over Jill. He has finally gotten his confidence back and has charmed a wonderful woman without even trying. That was the Chuck she missed so badly; the Chuck that would grow on everyone without him even trying. Her admiring comes to an abrupt ending when the alarm clock blares. Ellie jumps in shock at the sound but quickly rushes to turn it off. After silencing the interruption, she looks over to Chuck and Sarah as they slowly stir from their peaceful slumber.

"Good morning," Ellie smiles the brightest smile she may have well ever done.

"Morning," Chuck responds slightly groggily. He can still feel the warmth of Sarah radiating over the parts of his body she slept on. "Can we catch up with you in a few minutes?"

"Sure," Ellie beams as she pulls Devon from his sleepy sitting position and forcefully drags him out of the room.

All Devon could get out before being thrust from the room is a groggy, "Ugh."

Ellie isn't going to let Devon's atrociously obvious sexual jokes ruin Chuck and Sarah's moment. She absolutely loves Devon for everything about him and wouldn't want him to change for the world but she knows when it is time for a joke and when it isn't.

"Good morning, Sarah," Chuck says sincerely as he looks down at the adorable blonde. She lifts her head from his chest and he can still feel her warmth on him. Her hair is rustled slightly as most of it fell to her left side because of gravity. She is beautiful.

"Morning, Chuck," Sarah smiles at him as she places her head back onto her rightful pillow. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great," Chuck answers truthfully. Sure, he could've elaborated and said it was the single greatest sleep he has ever had, but he doesn't want to come off as too desperate so he toned down his response. "How about you?"

"Best sleep ever," Sarah says with a hint of humor in her tone. She is not lying… at all. That was the damn best sleep she has ever had, but she doesn't want to come off as too desperate so she made it sound slightly humorous.

/

Everyone is in their post ready for the attack. They don't know when it is going to arrive or if they will even be attacked, but Sarah is near certain. She has grossed a wealthy income for the Boss and he is certain to be greedy enough to want her back to make more money. Many thoughts have crossed her mind about how this will play out. Most of them were negative thoughts of Chuck and Devon dead while she and Ellie are taken as slaves, and those scared her a lot. This is the first time she was scared in her life. Not scared for herself, but scared for someone else; for Chuck, Ellie, Devon, and the patients. "Chuck?" Sarah looks over to him sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

"Yea?" He looks at her, but without a smile because he doesn't like the sound of her tone. It is slightly shaky and worried.

"If we can't stop them, I want you, Ellie, and Devon to take the patients into the truck and drive to the nearest city," Sarah explains seriously, but with hints of sadness because she knows she will never see Chuck again if this happens. "I'll keep them off your back."

"No," Chuck states with pure determination as he shakes his head vehemently. "Absolutely not. I am not abandoning you here. I will not do that."

"Chuck," Sarah states as she looks into his eyes, "you're more important. All of you are."

"We're in this together Sarah," Chuck holds his hardened resolve perfectly. "We're doing this *together* and that is it. No one is abandoning anyone. You hear me?"

"Alright," Sarah agrees weakly as she looks into the determination of Chuck's eyes. It seems like he has gotten more and more confident since the day she met him, which just makes her love him more. She can see how set in his ways he is. He would do everything in his power to protect her. "Then we should siphon the gas to cause larger explosions with the hydrogen peroxide." Sarah hates not having a backup plan where everyone is guaranteed safety, but Chuck will never leave her side and she has never seen such determination in someone before.

/

Sarah places the last bit of gasoline near the last hydrogen peroxide trap. The gasoline is in a half of a plastic bottle as the plastic will melt quickly and hopefully heat the gasoline enough to ignite. She hides it under some leaves but where it will still be effective. After all of the gasoline traps are hidden properly, Sarah makes her way back inside.

"How do they look?" Chuck asks almost the instant she walks through the door.

She closes the door and smiles at him. "They'll definitely do more damage."

"Cool," Chuck says halfheartedly as if something is hanging over his head. "Do you think the patients will be alright?"

"Ellie told me she talked to them about everything when I was teaching her how to fire her handgun," Sarah explains. "She said they understand and will be fine."

"Good," Chuck says in the same halfhearted tone.

"Chuck, is there something wrong?" Sarah walks up to him sitting with his back to the wall. She slides down next to him and lays her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know," he sighs dejectedly. "I guess I'm just worried. I've never done anything like this."

"I know it's hard," Sarah looks away from Chuck despondently. She still hates herself for getting them into this situation. "But you have to think about your friends and family. It's sometimes necessary to do harmful things to protect the ones you care about," she finishes by looking back up towards him.

"And the ones you love," Chuck states as he stares into her eyes.

"Yes," Sarah nods before placing her head back onto his shoulder. It gives her a calm relaxing feeling that obliterates any feelings of uneasiness or nervousness. She very rarely got pre-mission jitters, but his shoulder could probably cure them all. The silence of them together was cut short by a thumping sound.

Sarah quickly looks over the window to see a man in a beige outfit slowly getting to his feet after tripping on something about thirty feet from the front door. "Get ready," Sarah informs Chuck really quick before sliding over to her post.

"What the hell," they hear the man yell in frustration as he brushes the dirt and leaves off of him. He doesn't know what he just tripped on.

"Remember, Chuck, conserve your ammo," Sarah states coolly as she aims out the window and waits patiently for the trap to work.

In just a few seconds, the leaves appear to spontaneously combust and ignite into flames. The flames start small but quickly spread across the wire and form almost a barrier of sorts. Before anyone could really react, the gasoline explodes in a fiery inferno; fire shooting out in multiple directions.

Chuck can hear the screams of one of the men being caught on fire. The sound is shrilling and frightening but he swallows down his hesitation and looks over the window with his assault rifle ready.

"Damn it!" They hear a commanding voice yell that Sarah can instantly recognize as the Boss, but it is slightly raspy. She blames the hoarseness on her attack when she escaped. "Get the hell in there and get what we came for. Kill everyone else!"

"Fire!" Sarah yells as she squeezes the trigger for a three round burst into the front soldier's chest; killing him instantly. The Boss takes a double take at seeing where the bullets originated from. An armada of soldiers heads forward with their assault rifles drawn and at the ready.

Chuck quickly copies Sarah and lightly squeezes the trigger. The gun nearly hops out of his hand as the few bullets go somewhere towards the clouds. _This is worse than the Counter-Strike AK47,_ Chuck muses before trying again. He knew guns were loud, but holy crap the noise is blaring in his ears still. He grips the gun tighter and tries his best to calm himself. Bullets immediately start ricocheting and burrowing into the walls of the clinic.

Sarah peeks her head over her window to see that the fire is spreading to the next trap while flashes of lights are coming from the jungle. The next bottle of gasoline explodes, catching two enemies on fire. Sarah fires another burst of her assault rifle before she is forced back into cover by a hail of gunfire.

As the enemies start to advance quickly, bullets rain down on them from the second floor forcing the enemies back into cover. Devon has always been a strong guy and he does dabble in extreme sports and other extreme activities; firing range included. He isn't a great shot and probably wouldn't beat out a police officer in an accuracy test, but he can hold a firm grip and keep control of the assault rifle. He hits two enemies with a burst of around ten bullets.

Ellie fires her first shot and it causes her to nearly fall backwards. She looks at the handgun like it is a mini cannon. The loud noise is still piercing her ears as she falls down into cover thanks to the seemingly endless amount of bullets piercing the opposite side of the wall they're against.

This gives Chuck and Sarah the chance to pop back out and fire more bullets. Sarah expertly takes out another enemy just about to approach the Venus fly trap with another three round burst to the chest. The enemy keels over backwards as the soul leaves the body for hell.

Chuck eases on the trigger again and with the extra amount of strength he is using to steady the weapon, he fires horizontally at least. One bullet of his five round burst clips an enemy in the shoulder. Just before falling back into cover, he sees a bottle with a flaming rag in the top fall from the sky until it hits the ground near some enemies and explode with a bright flame that catches an enemy. Chuck falls back into cover as more bullets smack the wall he is against.

Chuck and Sarah hear a female shriek come from inside the clinic. Chuck's eyes widen as he can easily tell whose voice that is. "Lawan!" Chuck exclaims as he recklessly rushes towards the patients.

"Chuck! Wait!" Sarah hastily chases after him as she lets her assault rifle hang on her shoulder.

Chuck busts into the room to see an enemy with his hand over Lawan's mouth and his gun pressed into her side. The loud banging of the double doors of the room makes the enemy look towards Chuck who freezes in fear. Luckily, Sarah was only a second behind him and she instantly takes control of the situation. She swiftly grips her pistol and fires a single shot the instant she aims down the sights. The bullet tears into the enemy's temple and he drops to the ground lifelessly; his hand sliding off Lawan's mouth.

"You alright?" Chuck asks worriedly as he runs up to her.

"Yes," Lawan smiles sadly through the tears forming on her eyes.

"I promise nothing will happen to you," Chuck states seriously before turning to see Sarah gone and the doors closing slowly.

Sarah is back at her post as a seemingly endless amount of enemies are approaching. She knows she only has around twenty four bullets in the assault rifle and nine left in her pistol. She can hear Devon's firing and knows that he is nearing empty. She jumps up over the cover of the wall and fires calculated bursts into the enemies quickly approaching the front door.

One of the enemies escapes her burst of gunfire and sprints towards the front door. His foot makes it to the front step when two swift logs enclose on him and the spikes slice right through his entire leg up to his waist. The man screams in pain as the spike went through his entire leg, piercing the femoral artery multiple times. The man dies in seconds and his body dangles lifelessly by the single leg holding it up.

"Dammit!" Sarah hears the Boss yell in anger. "Stop trying to defend yourselves. All I want is the Blonde and the rest of you will not be harmed!"

Sarah mentally counts how many bullets she has left in her assault rifle and it isn't nearly enough to win this fight, even with the makeshift Molotov cocktails she has for herself and Chuck. She can hear the clicking of Devon's empty gun. She hasn't really heard Ellie shooting much and doesn't know why. She knows it can't be because she was shot or Devon would for surely have stopped shooting to help her. Chuck makes his way back to Sarah and looks into her eyes. Lawan was already nearly killed as were the other patients. Sarah knows when there is a time to fight and a time to run. Sadly, this is a time for neither as they chose the wrong option when they had the chance. Any second now, they are going to bust through the door and kill everyone but her. There is only one way to ensure Chuck's safety. "I'm going out there," Sarah states seriously as she looks into the fear brimming in his eyes.

"What? No!" Chuck exclaims loudly.

"I have to," Sarah sticks to her decision. "I cannot protect everyone anymore. This is the only way."

"No," Chuck nearly whines as his eyes start to redden and become puffy. "You can't go out there. They'll kill you!"

"No, all they want is me. They won't kill me because I'm too valuable to him to kill for insubordination," Sarah explains sadly, but truthfully. She can see Chuck's heart breaking before her eyes and it breaks hers.

"Please," Chuck cries out as tears start to emerge. "Don't do this!"

"I have to protect you Chuck," Sarah says as she feels tears trying to break the surface. "I will do anything to make sure you're safe."

"No," Chuck whimpers as a last ditch effort.

Sarah suddenly dives into his arms and plants a surprisingly gentle kiss on his lips. The kiss quickly becomes heated and both of their tongues explore each other's mouths in a display of unending passion. A bolt of electricity flows through them as they become joined together at the lips. Sarah's hands cup Chuck's cheeks and hold his face to her for as long as she can kiss him. She needs to feel him one last time and she cannot control herself anymore. She wants this more than she has ever wanted anything in her entire life. She would go as far as to say she needed it. Tears stream down both of their faces as they continue to exchange heated passion for each other. One last exploration of the tasteful mouth of Chuck's and she releases the kiss.

"Thank you for everything," she confesses to him as fresher tears form under her eyes. "You gave me the best week of my life and I will never forget you." The tears escape the lower rim of her eyelids and stream down her cheeks. "You deserve to know everything and I want you to have everything in my duffle bag under the bed."

"I don't want your duffle bag, I want you!" Chuck exclaims as his tears are flowing freely with his heart breaking so much.

"I know. I want you too. I'm sorry we couldn't have met under better circumstances." With that, she plants a quick passionate kiss on Chuck's lips before dropping both her weapons and stepping out the front door with her hands up. Chuck is just stunned into paralysis after the most amazing feeling of making out with Sarah Walker.

"Hold your fire!" The Boss yells as he sees the mop of blonde hair exit the front door of the clinic. "I guess my offer was too enticing to pass up," the Boss smirks victoriously. "That's very selfless of you to give yourself up in return for your new friends' safety. You know I'm a man of my word. Your friends will be left unharmed."

Ellie and Devon see Sarah walk out from their perched spots on the second floor. "What is she doing?" Ellie asks in fear.

"I don't know," Devon says. "Let's go down and talk to Chuck."

Ellie and Devon rush down the stairs and see Chuck peering over the window like a child who has never been outdoors before. "Chuck? What is she doing?" Ellie asks quickly.

"She's… she's giving herself up," Chuck cries out as he turns to look at his sister and her boyfriend. "To save us." Fresh tears are streaming over the previous streams on his face.

"Oh god," Ellie blurts out as she covers her mouth in fear.

"I have to go out there," Chuck states determinedly. "I can't let her do this!" Chuck stands up and reaches for the doorknob when he feels a strong hand grip his arm while a smaller arm with more strength than expected pull him back.

"You can't go out there," Ellie states softly.

"I have to!" Chuck cries out as he struggles to break from their hold on his arms. "Please! I need her! I love her, Ellie! I love her so much!" Chuck sees the Boss inspect Sarah's new hairstyle and the bandages on her arm through the window before they turn away from the clinic with guns aimed on Sarah. "NOOOooo!" Chuck cries out in a long dreadful drawl as he tries to reach for her in a last ditch effort as he sees Sarah walking away with the remaining enemies. He instantly falls to his knees and stops struggling as he no longer has the will to live. Tears shed from his eyes like a rainstorm as he has never felt so hurt in his life. He just lost the woman he loves more than anything. "Sarah," he whispers to himself as he hunches over on his knees.

Ellie watches the most painful sight she has ever seen. Her brother; her lovable, sweet, innocent, unfortunate brother is completely broken. Ellie's heart breaks at seeing such a sad scene. She just wants Chuck happy. Why is that so damn hard to get? She curses whatever gods may be listening for ruining Chuck's life over and over before falling down to Chuck's level and holding him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Chuck," Ellie cries with him as she doesn't know what to say. "She's our hero. She saved all of us."

"I already miss her," Chuck mumbles through the tears.

"I know," Ellie tightens her hold on Chuck. "I miss her too."

**/**

**A bit of a tearjerker, eh?**

**Please review.**


	15. History Lays Out the Plan for the Future

**Thanks for all the reviews. They really make me feel appreciated. Dammit! I never know what to write here. I guess I can virtually kiss your shoes for all the reviews, right? Damn, that would be a lot of kissing then and my lips might turn black. Gross. Yes, gross can be its own sentence without spellcheck saying it is a fragment or there is anything wrong with it. Yay, rambles to make this story look longer. Now back to your regular scheduled programming. Oh, this is a fairly long chapter, so you're welcome if you like it that way. If not, I recommend taking a moment to reflect when your mind starts drifting off. Damn ADD. It's just not fair.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Chuck is absolutely miserable. He just lost the woman he loves because she wanted to save him. _What's the point in saving me if I'm just going to be depressed for the rest of my life,_ Chuck thinks ironically. Sarah saved him for a life of pain and sadness. It seems more like she cursed him then saved him. Chuck doesn't even want to move. His mind is so dejected that it can't even find the will to make his legs move.

Ellie doesn't know what to do. The Jill situation was one thing, but this is on a whole new level. Yes, Chuck would go as far as to say he loved Jill, but not even close to the extent he loves Sarah. Sarah saved him from eternal sadness in a way only she could. She gave him the confidence to be all he could be. Ellie has no idea how to approach this situation so she does the only thing that makes marginal sense. She and Devon help Chuck stand to his feet. "Chuck, you should get some rest," Ellie says sincerely as she holds onto Chuck tightly afraid that if she lets go, he will shatter into a million pieces.

"Why?" Chuck mumbles dishearteningly.

Ellie always knew Chuck had a fragile heart. That was mostly because he left it open to everyone. He left it open to Bryce, only to be betrayed and kicked out of Stanford. He left it open to Jill, only to be betrayed and dumped for Bryce. He left it open for Sarah, only to lose her for her selflessness. Chuck even took the blame for their parents leaving, which was the first sign of him never letting his heart completely close and always trusting people too much.

"It will help," Ellie answers softly.

Chuck mindlessly lets Devon and Ellie walk him to the living quarters and onto his bed. He doesn't even try to get comfortable. He just lies down like a dead body as his heart is broken once again.

"Just try to get some sleep," Ellie gives him a light kiss on his forehead and steps out of the room with Devon.

Chuck's mind is racing with different thoughts. Some of them are about suicide, some are about trying to find a way to save Sarah, but most of them are about how much his life sucks. It must be written in stone somewhere that his life will eternally be full of heartbreaks and betrayals. Maybe the lost eleventh commandment states 'Charles Bartowski shalt never haveth happiness or findeth love.' Or however Elizabethan English is written.

Chuck lets his head fall to form to the pillow and his face slacks to his right. He sees Sarah's bed and his heart wrenches again as if someone just put a dagger into it. He misses Sarah so much. He misses all the fun time they spent together. He misses joking around and playing with her. He misses holding her in his arms when he sleeps. He misses her brilliant smile. He misses the most amazing kiss of his life. His eyes fall down to the floor when he notices the duffle bag in the shadow under the bed. He remembers Sarah saying something about having everything inside it.

He humors her as a sort of last wish by reaching over and sliding it towards himself. He slides his feet to the side of his bed so he is now sitting on the bed. He slowly opens the bag to see loads of Thai monetary bills inside. "Money?" Chuck muses in disbelief. "She thought she was worth money to me?" Tears start to form at how she could think so lowly of herself. She was absolutely priceless to him. He could never put a monetary value on how amazing she is. They don't even make a big enough bill for what he would be asking if he was really forced to.

Chuck tosses the money out onto his bed agitatedly in a rage of fury as he digs furiously to find anything else. His mind is still reeling on how Sarah could think money would solve anything. He hopes that there is something in there better than money; something that could help him find her. Maybe she detailed a map on how to stage her escape from the camp? Chuck hopes to any god that may be listening to give him some way to help her. As the money empties from the bag, he finds the bear skin. He quickly tosses that out as he sees the duffle bag now void of anything. "That's it?" Chuck says to the bag. "Money and a bear skin?"

Again, it feels like a dagger was pushed into his heart and now it was being jostled inside his broken heart. He falls back onto his bed with his head on the pillow when it makes some crumpling sounds. He lethargically pushes the money off to the right side of his bed and puts his head back down. His eyes fall to the floor and he sees a white piece of paper folded within the littered amount of bills. His brow furrows slightly as he reaches and picks up the odd piece of paper that he must've missed in his fury earlier. He unfolds the piece of paper to see a hand-written note.

_Chuck,_

_If you're reading this, then we were unsuccessful in holding off the clinic. I'm sorry for everything. You are the greatest thing to happen to my life and I will always cherish the time I got to spend with you. You deserve to know the true reasons for me being here._

_I'm not a tourist. I never was. I was a CIA agent for the United States. Yes, the CIA. The ones with spies and stuff. I was a spy Chuck. Sarah Lisa Walker was a spy for the CIA until two years ago when I was captured on a mission to infiltrate an enemy organization. I could tell you the specifics, but then I'd have to kill you. Long story short, I ensured my partner's escape but was caught in the process. First, I was just imprisoned, but then I was sold to a dictator to fight for his amusement. At first, I refused to fight, but they killed innocent people if I didn't. I was forced to do horrible things to other innocent people. I hated my life more than anything and I thought the world would be better off without me. I was a monster and didn't want to live anymore._

_That's when I found you. More like you found me, but you saved me Chuck. I escaped that hellhole and you found me. You showed me that people can be sincere and genuine. You showed me that I do have a purpose in this life. You showed me that someone could love me after everything I've done. You are the shining light in my dark life. Thank you for giving me everything I could've ever wanted. I just wish things could've been different._

_Chuck, you're the most amazing man I've ever met and being a CIA agent, I've met many people. But no one can compare to you. You are the nicest, smartest, sweetest, funniest, handsomest man I have ever met. You charmed me in less than a day and I spent my entire life putting up walls to keep from falling for someone, but you beat them all. You and your damn smile I hate so much because I love it so much. You're a great guy and deserve someone equal in greatness. I know there is someone equally as great as you out there somewhere. And I know you will find her because you are Chuck Bartowski, the greatest nerd in the world._

_I'm going to miss you Chuck. I'm going to be thinking about you all the time now. You have given me a reason to live and I will never forget it or you. You will be forever immortalized in my mind and my heart. You are the only thing to light the darkness in my life. Thank you, Chuck._

_Love,_

_Sarah Lisa Walker._

Chuck doesn't know what to say as the streams of tears on his cheeks start to dry. His mind is spinning faster than a windmill. "She was a spy?" Chuck mumbles to reassure himself. Chuck's mind skims over the contents of the entire message and he thinks determinedly. "If I'm so great and I deserve someone great, then I want you Sarah." The determination in his voice is strong and impenetrable. "You are the greatest woman I have ever met and had the luxury of calling my friend."

The biggest problem is finding her and getting her back. He doesn't know where these monsters' camp is set up. All he knows is that it is south, a few clicks south was Sarah's exact words. _How much is a click?_ Chuck's mind asks him helplessly. Even if he was to find the exact location, he is no seal team six and has no access to one. His mind starts to tell him it is hopeless and Sarah is gone for good, but his heart doesn't give up. She was an agent with the CIA. Maybe he could contact them and tell them there agent is captured in Thailand. _How the hell do you call the CIA?_ Chuck asks himself helplessly. _911? Operator?_ He knows it isn't going to be easy to do, but he isn't going to give up on Sarah. She may've given up on herself, but he will never do such a thing.

/

Sarah's wrists are cuffed in front of her by a soldier. They are standing beside a large infantry truck with a truck bed that could hold approximately sixteen people. The Boss inspects her over with a furrowed brow. "This is what my man did to you?" He asks as he feels the bandage on her arm.

She stays silent and stoic. This pig doesn't deserve to see an ounce of emotion or hear her 'angelic' voice as Chuck once called it.

"Silent treatment again?" The Boss snorts. "Don't worry, we'll take you home."

They load her onto the back of the large truck with a soldier on each side of her. More soldiers filter in as they fill up the truck. The Boss ends up sitting right across from her.

"You know that you don't belong with those people," The boss tries to convince her. "You're a savage and civilization isn't a place for a savage. With me, you're home. You can be yourself. I'm just saving you from the inevitable rejection. No one will be able to get over your grotesque appearance," he states without an ounce of insult as if he truly believes she is ugly with the scars. "They will just be scared of you and force you into exile. I will never do that to you. You are my prized possession. No one here will ever resent you." The Boss finishes with a large smirk on his face.

Sarah narrows her eyes ever so slightly at how much she hates the man across from her. She has already calculated it and she could pull the combat knife of the guard next to her and slit the Boss' throat before they kill her, but then she will be killed. Before she met Chuck, she would've probably believed everything the Boss had said. She had the same thoughts about herself before Chuck. She thought she was an ugly, grotesque monster that no one could ever live amongst. But Chuck showed her that she isn't a monster. Chuck showed her what it feels like to be loved and to love in return. He showed her that she is still beautiful and no one would resent her. Chuck showed her who she always wished she could be. He is the only one who can fully bring out the true Sarah Walker.

"Let's get a move on," The Boss shouts to the driver before the truck grumbles to life and the wheels start spinning.

/

Chuck pulls out his seldom used laptop and powers it up. He nervously paces around the room as he waits for the computer to load the home screen. The anticipation is slowly killing him inside as he wants to do this as quickly as possible. He doesn't know what they monsters will do to Sarah. The minute everything loads up, he clicks on the internet and searches 'how to contact the CIA.' Most of the top searches are for random blog posts and forums about people wondering if they should contact the CIA for juvenile things just because they are in Arabic. Finally he sees the actual government website for the CIA, aptly named .gov.

He clicks on the link and finds the homepage to the CIA. He muses that the layout is simple and easy to navigate. "Aha!" Chuck exclaims as he sees the section 'Contact CIA.' He clicks on it and it brings up a postal mail address, a phone number, and a fax number. He knows mail is going to take too long, especially all the way from Thailand. He doesn't have a fax machine and he doesn't think anywhere in Thailand will have one either, so phone is the best option.

Chuck pulls out his seldom used phone and dials the number it says on the screen. _This is gonna cost a lot,_ Chuck muses about the long distance charges. The phone rings and he wills someone to pick up. The instant he hears the call being answered, he blurts out, "I need to talk to—" Chuck stops when he realizes that the line is automated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," the robotic female voice says in an exaggerated sincere tone. Chuck grumbles in frustration. "This is the Central Intelligence Agency number you have reached. If there is a situation you, trustful citizen, feel falls under the CIA's jurisdiction, please press number one. If—"

Chuck doesn't hear the rest as he hastily presses the one key on his phone. He quickly puts the phone back to his ear as he listens for more instructions.

"Thank you for serving your country, faithful citizen," the mechanical female voice states, much to Chuck's impatience at how unnecessarily sincere the voice is feigning. "To make this simple, please state your situation and we'll be glad to help."

Chuck doesn't know how to start but he blurts out immediately, "I know the location—"

"Please speak after the beep," the voice says in the same mechanically sincere tone.

"Really?" Chuck's eyes bulge out of his face at how frustrating the automated calling is. He huffs angrily as he impatiently waits for the long anticipated beep.

_Beep!_ The phone finally shrieks.

"Hello, I know the location of one of your agents," Chuck tries his best to act calm after the frustrating start to the call. "Agent Sarah Walker is in Thailand and currently enslaved under a dictator. You need to help free her. She is still alive and healthy and needs your help. Please help her," Chuck finishes slightly emotional as he tries his best to calm himself and not let the emotions get the better of him.

After a few second pause, the bionic voice comes back on, "are you finished with explaining your situation?"

"Yes," Chuck huffs as he is somehow out of breath. Maybe he forgot to breathe when he was leaving the message.

"Thank you for your time. We will hopefully respond to your message within three to thirty days. Have a good day, honest citizen." The voice immediately hangs up to be replaced by the dial tone, leaving Chuck even more angered.

"Thirty days?" Chuck exclaims angrily. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Chuck rarely has had to raise his voice. He rarely has ever felt the need to get angry. When Bryce betrayed him, he didn't yell at him or physically harm him. When Jill broke up with him, he didn't raise his voice at her or harm her physically or verbally. He fights the urge to throw his phone at the wall to release some anger as he redials the number.

On the second ring, the robotic voice answers. "Welco—"

"Representative," Chuck demands in a loud huff, hoping it will work as it does when calling the Dell hotline; something he had to do as a Nerd Herder.

"Would you like to speak to a representative?" The voice asks him as charming as a robot can be.

"Yes," Chuck does all but scream at into the phone.

"One second while I redirect you to a representative," the voice says with its fake charming tone.

Patriotic music takes over the bionic voice as it hums the Star Spangled Banner. After a few seconds, the music dims and a voice states, "this call may be recorded for legal purposes."

"I don't give a shit," Chuck chides bitterly as he waits impatiently as the music comes back on.

After what felt like hours, the music, now imprinted into Chuck's brain, stops all together and a voice interrupts it. "Hello, this is the Office of Public Affairs. This is Marla, how may I help you today?" The voice is easily forcibly sincere, but Chuck can tell the woman probably has to put up the charade for her job.

"Thank god," Chuck sighs gratefully. "Yes, Marla, I know where one of your agents is. Agent Sarah Walker is currently enslaved in Thailand. You guys need to get her back."

"Excuse me, sir?" Marla asks with slight surprise.

"Please don't play coy with me," Chuck nearly threatens. "She has been captured for the last two years. She is only a few clicks south of me. You cannot leave her to this fate."

"Sir, we don't take kindly to prank callers and we have the ability to trace your phone number," the woman responds slightly agitated as she mindlessly plays with her wedding ring.

"Yes, trace it!" Chuck exclaims as it will give them an accurate location. "I'm not pranking you. Do you have a computer up?"

"Yes," Marla reluctantly humors him.

"Then can you search through your employees? Search Sarah, with an H on the end, Walker. Please, she needs your help," Chuck all but begs.

"Alright, sir, just one minute," Marla says with hesitation as she doesn't fully believe him.

"Thank you, Marla," Chuck says exasperatedly.

Marla searches through the employee list on her computer and finds a single match to the name 'Sarah Walker.' The woman reads it and it says she was once a liaison for the humanities department but retired twenty-two months ago. Marla has been working with the CIA for the last seven years and she knows that there is more to everyone's official titles than what it says. Obviously, for legal reasons, they had her as a humanities liaison, but secretly must've been one of those spies she has heard about: the spies that go all around the world stopping evil uprisings and disappearing without a trace. At first, she thought it was just a myth, but when she saw Connors, the newest analyst sporting a fresh bruise around his eye and a bandage around his right forearm nearly a year ago, she knew something else had to be going on. That combined with his multiple absences from work were obvious signs… unless there was a fight club she didn't know about. There is no way someone that handsome could possibly be just a nerdy analyst either.

"Is she really a spy?" Marla asks in a conspiratorial whisper as she impulsively leans closer to her computer as if she is somehow hiding herself.

"Yes," Chuck cries out as he can hear the change in tone of the woman. She is finally on his side. "Please, you need to talk to whoever it is you talk to about this stuff. Your boss, or manager, or CEO, or director, or whatever it is. Please, I don't want anything to happen to her."

"I'll see what I can do," the woman assures seriously. She is almost as anxious to find out if this is real as the man on the phone is about getting this message through. "I can't promise anything though."

"I understand," Chuck sighs heavily. "Thank you so much," Chuck sighs gratefully. "Please hurry. I don't know what they'll do to her."

/

Marla's job wasn't exactly what she thought it was. Yes, she was intrigued with working with the CIA. She has always heard fascinating stories of their undercover agents who would sneak into hostile areas and stop the enemies from detonating nukes. She knew she was reeling… far. The idea in itself was horrendously farfetched. But she never completely lost hope. Seeing Connors gave her a renewed hope that they still exist with his beaten appearance one day, but she still had no proof. This guy who just called… _Shit,_ she scolds herself, _I forgot to get his name._ She was so hyped up that she forgot to take his name down. She shakes it off as the CIA can always trace the location and user of the call to find his exact location and that is the most important part.

She feels like she is on her high horse as she bounces her way to her manager's office with a swift step. She nearly barges into the room and her manager looks up at her as he is completely startled by her abrupt entrance. "Marla?" He practically shouts as his heart nearly bursts out of his chest.

"Sorry, sorry, Mr. Stevens," Marla shyly lowers her head in shame before emerging even more exhilarated. "But, I just got off an urgent call."

"What is it now?" Mr. Stevens sighs as he barely gives her an eighth of his attention.

"Well, sir, I just received a call from someone in Thailand."

"Thailand, huh?" Mr. Stevens humors her halfheartedly. Marla has always been a faithful employee who hasn't slipped up once, but she has always been on a manhunt to find out about the clandestine agents the CIA uses and that is the last thing she should know about. The 'C' in CIA doesn't only stand for 'central.'

"Yep," Marla continues undeterred. "He said that an agent who I believe is missing is there."

"You believe?" Mr. Stevens looks at her in mock disbelief. "Marla, how many times do we have to go through this?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I really believe I'm onto something this time."

"Go ahead then," Mr. Stevens nonchalantly waves her on. Her farfetched ideas usually give him some humorous material to talk about with his friends during poker night.

"Well, the man said that an Agent Sarah Walker was captured," Marla explains quickly.

Mr. Stevens' brow rises subtly at hearing the name. It sounds somewhat familiar to him. He never dabbled too much into the secretive parts of the CIA, but once in a while he was nearly forced (his opinion only) to attend meetings about where possible agents may be so he can have his department run interference if anyone calls about the agents' possible whereabouts. It rarely affects him and he usually tunes it out but the name alone sparks something from his memory. He vaguely remembers an 'Agent Walker' and an 'Agent Larkin' being sent to somewhere in Asia a couple years ago. The only reason he remembers them is because that Agent Walker was one hot piece of tail (his words only) that he couldn't stop staring at. Then again, all the names start to get mixed around after twelve years at the same job, so he keeps silent and lets Marla go off on her mythological rant.

"I checked her records and she was on the employee roll two years ago when she suddenly retired. I honestly don't think someone twenty-five would retire. They don't pay us nearly enough to be able to retire at such a young age," Marla chuckles at the quick joke.

"We don't know how people think. Maybe she just quit for a different job?" Stevens suggests as he still thinks Marla is on one of her ridiculous hunts for secretive operatives.

"Come on, Mr. Stevens," Marla rolls her eyes as she is sick of his dodging what she is almost certain about. "You know that the CIA has spies they use to stop nefarious organizations. I think this Sarah Walker was one of those spies when she was captured," Marla states determinedly.

"How do I know you didn't just make this up?" Stevens asks skeptically. He knows it's a ridiculous question, but it had to be asked. He cannot let her know that she may very well be onto something top-secret.

"Have I lied to you in the seven years I've been here?" Marla asks rhetorically because they both know the answer is no. "This man even told me the name. I wouldn't have thought it credible if he didn't have a name that came up on the employee roll and humanities liaison? Please, we all know that is just a cover job for security reasons. What the heck would a humanities liaison even do?"

"Alright," Mr. Stevens huffs as this could be a true case of a missing agent being found; no matter how rare that is. "But why wouldn't this so-called agent call herself?"

"Well, the man said she was just captured so I'm guessing she couldn't."

"Fine, fine," Mr. Stevens nods as he gives her a small smile of appreciation. "Good work, Marla. I'll talk to my superiors to see if they know anything, but there aren't any *secretive operatives* in the CIA… or spies for that matter." Mr. Stevens finishes with one of the most important parts of his job, to relinquish any growing thoughts about spies in the CIA. If they are openly known, then they aren't spies anymore.

"Yes, sir, and thank you, sir," Marla nods vigorously with glee. Her heart is pumping rapidly at the revelation of this single phone call. It only took seven years for the excitement. Seven years she wouldn't trade for anything. Marla leaves the room with a giant smile on her face. She feels like she just won the lottery.

Mr. Stevens sighs after Marla leaves and picks up the phone. He dials number one and waits for the operator to come on. "Yes, this is the Senior Manager of Public Affairs, Gary Stevens. I need to speak to Director Langston Graham immediately. This is an emergency."

"Patching you through now, sir," the operator says sincerely.

**/**

**I have no idea how the CIA works. I did a little research on looking over the website but that is about it. No, I didn't call the CIA to see how they answer the phone because that is a little too far for a fictional story. In no way am I trying to say the CIA is inconsiderate or incompetent with an automated answering machine or reluctant employees. I'm sure the CIA is at least a bit more efficient than how I portrayed them, but I thought it was time for a little humor since the last chapter was pretty straining on the drama. I also have no idea how to speak or write Elizabethan English and I hate Shakespeare for using it. It just makes things unnecessarily complicated (Thou shalt not pass! But thou shalt review).**

**Please review.**


	16. Reaching the Chain of Command

**Thanks for all the reviews. I'm sorry Chuck couldn't go all Rambo on the baddies, but this story is supposed to be realistic after all. He will still be a huge factor in the attempt to rescue Sarah. Can I just say I love the name Hypnotoad! Whoever that is, I'm completely jealous of the name and I always think of Futurama when I see your name. There is a little bit of sexuality in the beginning of the chapter.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

"Wow, you're so gorgeous," Chuck says in complete awe as he gazes lovingly into her eyes.

Sarah's heart tightens with joy. Chuck means everything to her and he compliments her truthfully. He truly believes she is beautiful and just his acknowledgement alone means enough to her that she feels beautiful herself. She buries her smile into his shirt-clad chest in a playful shy manner. "Thank you," she mumbles joyfully.

Chuck's hands move to her lower back as he embraces her. His hands slowly slide under her shirt and run up her back. Electricity runs through her entire body as she squirms with pleasure. Just his touch causes tremors to run through her body and puts her on the edge of an orgasm. She looks back up at him and he is smiling brightly while his hands slide under the back of her bra strap without unclasping it. She decides to slide her hands under his shirt and runs them along his thin, muscular stomach. Her hands feel an electric current like one of those electric balls produce at every point of contact with his smooth warm skin. Her hands rise until she has a palm on both of his breasts. She runs her hands along the warm skin and around until they touch around his back. He pulls her in for a soft passionate kiss that she reciprocates immediately with all the fervor she's built up as she pulls herself into him too.

His hands slide all the way up to her shoulders and she breaks the kiss to raise her arms. Her top comes off with complete ease, leaving her torso bare in just the bra. Their lips reattach and continue as if they never separated. She feels Chuck's warm hands glide down her back until they slide under the waistband of her pants and panties. His hands cup her bare ass and push her closer to him. She happily accepts the notion and presses her chest flush against him as she wraps her legs around him and grinds her crotch against him. Heat is growing rapidly inside her stomach and she can feel her nether regions lubricating naturally with hunger and passion.

His hands pull down the waistband of her pants and panties allowing her nether regions to be free of the cloth. Chuck's hands recapture her soft ass and lift her higher up on his body so he can undo his pants. Chuck finally breaks the kiss and looks into her eyes, his hands stilling along her outer folds. The ecstasy he is giving her is so powerful that her abdomen and diaphragm is already constricting. She is about to surpass the point of no return and let out her passion against his hands from just his gentle warm touch. "You're so amazing, Sarah," Chuck says in a soft but serious tone. No one can argue with how true his words are. And quite frankly, she wouldn't want to argue because it just makes her heart skip a beat.

"You're the best—"

Tires screech and Sarah looks around to see the men in beige surrounding her. The Boss is sitting not even five feet across from her. Her hands are cuffed and Chuck is nowhere to be seen. She drops her head as she realizes that she was only daydreaming. It was the most vivid daydream she had ever had, and the greatest feeling daydream she had ever had. Usually, her daydreams consist of people despising her for how she looks or what she's done. She has never had a daydream that was actually a pleasurable dream and not a nightmare.

The Boss reaches his hand out to raise her head, but she backs up before he can touch her chin; a slight look of disgust in her facial expression. "We're finally home. My dear," The Boss says softly with a large smirk before stepping out of the truck.

/

Chuck walks by Ellie with pure determination; a very subtle scowl painted on his face. Ellie is caught by complete surprise by Chuck even walking around. It is almost like he didn't even notice her. He usually greets her with a smile and a nod, but this time he didn't even give her a glance. "Chuck?" Ellie asks with more fear in her tone than she wanted to express. She doesn't get an answer as he continues down the hallway. "Chuck, where're you going?"

"Where are the binoculars?" Chuck asks without even looking back at her.

"Why?" Ellie asks with slight hesitation. Yes, it is nice to see Chuck not moping around in bed, but now he is acting is so strange.

"I need them," Chuck answers cryptically as he starts digging into filing cabinets in one of the storage rooms.

"For what?"

"I'm getting Sarah out. I'm going to scout the area and find the best way to save her," Chuck answers without any hesitation or a glance back at her as he continues searching.

"What?" Ellie flinches in surprise. "Chuck, this isn't a video game. This is real life."

"I know," Chuck answers as if that revelation doesn't change anything. "Sarah's life is real and she's not going to spend it in slavery. Where are those damn binoculars?" Chuck growls angrily to no one in particular as they weren't in the last drawer of the cabinet.

"Chuck, please, you're not a spy," Ellie nearly begs as tears start to pressure her flood gates. She understands that Chuck wants Sarah to be saved but he cannot do it himself and she would happily help if they actually had any chance but none of them have any military experience.

"That doesn't matter," Chuck responds quickly.

"You don't even know where she is," Ellie laments as she tries to put some sense into her lost brother.

"I don't care," Chuck answers carelessly as he looks in the next set of cabinets.

This is the first time in Ellie's life that she has actually been scared by Chuck. She doesn't know how to control Chuck anymore. He has become… she hates herself for thinking this: insane. He's not himself anymore and she needs her baby brother back. She needs the man that has told her she could do anything she wanted. The man who talked to the board of admissions at UCLA medical school when they weren't sure if they should accept her. The man who gave up everything to come to Thailand because she was afraid of letting him go. "Please Chuck," Ellie nearly sobs as tears start to drip down her cheeks.

"I'm saving her," Chuck states seriously as if he doesn't realize what he is doing to the only other significant woman in his life.

Chuck has always been the most sincere guy in the world. A woman crying and he would drop anything to make sure everything is alright. He used to always hate seeing Ellie sad and would always do anything in his power to make her happy. The pain and fear in Ellie surpasses rock bottom and morphs into anger.

"What are you gonna do?" Ellie asks agitatedly as through her tears. "Scout out the area, go in there, kill everyone, and save Sarah?"

"That's the gist of it," Chuck responds with the same inattentive tone.

"You're not John Rambo!" She yells at the top of her lungs. "You're Chuck Bartowksi, my brother and once a great man!" She doesn't know what came over her, but she just can't lose her brother; call it selfish if you want, but she needs him.

Chuck finally breaks from his determined search at hearing Ellie's pained voice penetrating all layers of his hearing. He turns to see Ellie gone from the room. Almost like something was blocking his thought process earlier, he finally realizes what he is contemplating and what he is doing to his sister. He follows her out and looks for her. She is nowhere in sight so he walks down the hallway passing the kitchen. At the corner of his eye, he sees a blur of dark drown. He steps back and looks to see Ellie's back towards him while she is sitting at the table with her face in her hands.

"Ellie?" Chuck asks softly as he pulls a chair next to her. He places a gentle hand on her back.

She doesn't respond as she quietly sobs into her palms.

"I'm sorry," Chuck says softly as he gently rubs his hand along her upper back. "I just miss Sarah so much, El. I know it's crazy because it's only been a week, but I need her. She's the only thing that makes me happy again."

"I know," Ellie states softly as she peeks her tear-stained eyes over her fingertips and looks at Chuck. "I miss her too… but I don't want to lose you Chuck. You're the only family I have. That's why I wanted you to come to Thailand, Chuck. I don't want you to become a stranger to me."

"I won't Ellie," Chuck says in the same comfortingly soft tone. "I'm not going anywhere. You know why?"

Ellie looks at him in curiosity to know the answer.

"Because Bartowskis always stick together," Chuck smiles sincerely at Ellie.

"Does that mean you aren't going to try to break Sarah out?"

"El," Chuck looks down in thought before looking back up and with a soft tone states, "I have to do something. I can't just let her rot in there."

"Can't we call the authorities or something?" Ellie asks hopefully. She wants to do everything she can to help Sarah but she doesn't want to lose her only family in the process. "Can't we call the U.S. government and tell them that a U.S. citizen is held hostage?"

"Actually," Chuck lets out a tiny smile at the similar thought process he had, "Sarah kind of left me a note and told me she was a spy."

"A spy?" Ellie's eyes widen in surprise; the tears no longer pouring and her cheeks drying quickly. Now she is more intrigued than depressed.

"Yea, for the CIA. I called them and told them about Sarah. They said they would see what they could do."

"Then why do you want to get Sarah out yourself? Why not let them do it?" Ellie stresses like the right thing to do is let the CIA handle it.

"I'm afraid they aren't going to care," Chuck says with worry as he averts his gaze. "I'm afraid they are just going to give up on Sarah."

"I know you're scared for her," Ellie states humbly as she hugs Chuck to raise his spirits. "But you have to trust the government."

"But they don't have jurisdiction in Thailand. This is a different country."

"But a spy," Ellie says like it makes the biggest difference, "she is probably important to them if she was on a mission in Thailand. The CIA doesn't send people just anywhere. There needs to be a reason… and a good one at that."

"I hope you're right," Chuck says barely over a whisper.

"I know I'm right," she smiles at Chuck. "Everything is going to be fine." They both hold each other in sibling love.

/

"With all due respect, Director, that's bullshit," Bryce Larkin says angrily as he paces in front of Director Langston Graham's desk inside his office. Graham is sitting behind the desk. "Sarah doesn't deserve to just be left behind."

"Bryce," Graham makes sure to use Bryce's first name informally as a way of putting himself on a peer level, "we don't know if this is true. She could've talked and they just want to distract us from another situation."

"That's crap," Bryce spits out bitterly as he crosses his arms. "Sarah would never talk. We both know this."

"We can't use our resources on a single person… even if it is Sarah," Graham sighs distraughtly. He wants to save Sarah after everything they've been through together, but he has to think like a Director and not a mentor.

"That's crap," Bryce states bitterly.

"Plus, the Thai government isn't going to let us in with open arms," Graham explains as he knows the Thai government wouldn't like hearing about a captured U.S. spy on their soil. They will want reasons for her being there and Graham cannot just give that information out.

"Sir, please," Bryce stops his pacing and puts his hands firmly against the desk, "this is Sarah we're talking about. The woman who has obliterated every record at the Farm. The woman who you recruited yourself. The woman who looked up to you as a mentor and hung on your every word to strive to be the best. The best god damn spy the CIA has ever had! Sir," Bryce breathes out to calm himself after the rant, "let me take a small team and break her out. We'll do this under the radar. No one will know we're there. Look at the camp," Bryce points to a satellite map of the camp they were able to acquire from tracing the initial caller's location and checking for the next small settlement south of it. "There can't be more than thirty enemies. And they may have other captors that could be American." Bryce tries to use every possible point of persuasion to get Graham to okay the rescue mission.

Bryce is surprising himself with how much he is fighting for Sarah. He always cared for her, but he knew the job was more important. After all, every agent is expendable. He didn't like leaving Sarah to fend for herself two years ago, but believed it had to be done. It was either him or her. Bryce tells himself that the biggest reason he is fighting for her is because he feels guilty for leaving her behind. He left her to be captured and tortured by the enemy. He should be the one captured but he was too terrified. The thought of him being tortured and locked away scared him more than anything in his life. When Sarah told him to get to the extraction point, he didn't argue while fully knowing she would be captured. At first, he just added it to a list of regrets that he wanted to apologize for at some point in his life, but now he has a chance to cross off his second biggest regret of his life after ruining the life of his best friend.

Graham sighs heavily. He knows Sarah is one the best agents the CIA has ever produced and he was a big factor in bringing her aboard. Sarah was like the daughter he never had after her birth father was imprisoned. "I don't like this," Graham looks back up as he hesitantly agrees with Bryce. "But the CIA doesn't have the forces to send in a small military squad. We're gonna need some help from… a friend."

/

Sarah is placed back into the cage she once thought of as home, but not anymore. She has a home and it is waiting for her just a little bit north of here. Everything looks the same: the people, the disgusting mud, and her spot in the back untouched since she was last there. As they lock the gate behind her, everyone looks at her with wide eyes. The first person to speak is the woman, who Sarah notices still has the same trampled appearance. "Wow," she states in slight awe. "They recaptured you."

Sarah ignores the woman as she sits back into her old spot. The spot feels so foreign now as she hasn't been in it for a week now. Her body is no longer used to the horrible posture the spot forces her in. She just wants to relax and let her mind drift off about Chuck, the only thing positive in her life.

"What happened to your arm?" The woman asks, breaking Sarah's daydream before it could even get started.

Sarah glares deadly daggers at the woman. The woman nearly cowers in fear at the look. For some odd reason, the Blonde looks even more murderous than usual. The woman muses that she almost looks like a mother wolf protecting her young. The woman backs down quickly and keeps her mouth shut.

Sarah goes back into the recesses of her mind to remember every little detail and quirk about Chuck: his brilliant smile, the goofy curls in his hair, his soft warm touch, his sweet genuine sincerity, his sexy ass, his gently toned physique, his cute and adorable face that makes him handsome in his own way… Sarah realizes the growing smile on her face. She quickly steels her facial features before going back to thinking about her one and only muse, Chuck.

/

Chuck doesn't know what to do. It has only been a few hours and he is literally shaking as he cannot figure something to do. He can't just sit around and wait, but he can't just leave Ellie. He already knows how badly Ellie needs him and he needs Ellie just as much, but he also needs Sarah. He can't just walk up to Ellie and say 'sorry, but there is another woman in my life that I care about,' but he can't let Sarah waste away her life in prison. He doesn't know if the CIA is going to do anything and he has his doubts about them saving a single person as she can't nearly mean as much to them as she does to him.

Chuck is fighting an internal war with his human limitations. If only he was a superhero like Spider-Man or Batman. What if he was like Sam Fisher? What if he could snipe a man from fifty feet out with a silenced pistol? What if he was able to hide in shadows and no one could see him? What if he could sneak Sarah out of there? What if he was a CIA agent instead of the Stanford reject he is? This is the first time he thinks about a different way his life could've gone other than being a software magnate if Bryce didn't screw him over. _I would've been able to save Sarah then_, he thinks sadly.

"Chuck?" Ellie breaks him from his thoughts. Ellie still doesn't know how to go about this, but she is just happy Chuck hasn't tried to go on a suicide mission to save Sarah yet.

"Hmm?" He looks at Ellie as all the thoughts in his mind pop like a bunch of bubbles landing on blades of grass.

"Come to dinner," Ellie pleads sweetly.

"I'm not hungry," Chuck responds despondently.

"What are you thinking about?" Ellie asks softly as she approaches Chuck with a comforting hand on his back.

"Everything," Chuck sighs. "How Bryce ruined my life, how I may never see Sarah again, how I'm not doing anything to help her—"

"You did do something," Ellie says seriously. "You called the CIA and told them about her."

"Yea, but I'm not doing anything myself," Chuck explains as if that is a huge difference. "I want to be the one to save her. I want to show her that I can be her hero."

"You are her hero," Ellie smiles sadly at Chuck. He doesn't understand that he saved Sarah in an emotional way. She always knew Chuck could be a little dense. "You saved her, Chuck."

"How? She's still a slave," Chuck says slightly bitter. Just the thought of her being forced to do anything makes him sick to the stomach.

"But you saved her from herself. When she first arrived, she thought of herself as some kind of monster. I saw the way she acted at first, but you helped her. You showed her that she isn't a monster, Chuck," Ellie explains with pride seeping into her voice for how amazing Chuck can be. "You showed her that she is beautiful over the scars… and under. Don't you get it Chuck? You made her feel loved after the horrible things that she thought she could never get over. You helped her get over everything and find someone to care about."

"I… I guess you're right," Chuck agrees in slight awe. He never really thought about it that way. "But that just makes me want her safe even more. I may've saved her emotionally, but she still needs to be saved physically and I hate that I can't do it. Why can't I just grow superpowers or make a robotic suit?"

"Because this is real life and real life doesn't work that way," Ellie smiles sadly at how much Chuck wants to save Sarah. She has never really heard him use superhero references for real life situations except when joking with Morgan. "Everything is a compromise."

"So what you're saying is that I saved her emotionally to let her be captured physically? That's a shitty compromise," Chuck chides as he looks down somberly.

"I know, Chuck," Ellie guides him towards the kitchen area with a soothing hand to his back.

/

"I know our agencies don't really see eye-to-eye, "Graham explains sincerely into the camera being relayed through a secure video chat line, "but I could really use your help on this, General." He would've called her Diane any other day, but he needs to get in her good graces.

The short, red-haired woman fixes the African-American man through her monitor with a stern glance. "Let me get this straight," she pauses as she recollects all the facts, "you want me to send a team of my men to Thailand to rescue a captured agent when the only proof you have of this agent being alive is a phone call to your Public Affairs office by some random stranger in Thailand?"

"That's about everything," Graham smiles as charmingly as he can. "I know the facts aren't perfect, but this agent means more than just an employee to me."

"I'm aware of your direct influence with Agent Walker's recruitment along with her scholastic and athletic achievements," the red-haired General states matter-of-factly.

"And they're damn good ones," Graham states with a seldom seen pride that burrows inside him. "I'm asking a favor here. I'm sure Major Casey's trigger finger is getting itchy right about now while in Costa Gravas. You're wasting his talents sitting inside a wall stalking the Generalissimo."

"Are you saying I don't know how to do my job?" Beckman asks as serious as possible, but she finds the humor in her question. She is mostly just teasing Graham with the question. Both agencies have never really approved of how the other operated so there has always been some… bad blood between them and she isn't going to waste the opportunity to make Graham squirm.

"That's not what I said. I said Major Casey's talents could be put to better use like a rescue mission for a captured agent instead of living inside the walls and sewers for a few weeks. Diane," Graham's tone takes on a soft pleading tone, "I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't feel it was important."

Brigadier General Diane Beckman heaves a hefty sigh. She knows that Graham is right about Major Casey's current assignment. He is just wasting away in the caverns of a castle just because the U.S. doesn't trust a dictator. Major Casey would never complain about an assignment, but Beckman is almost certain he would take a rescue mission over his current one any day. "I want all the details we can get. I want to talk to this stranger who called it in."

"I can arrange that," Graham tries his hardest not to let a smile show on his face.

"Langston, you're gonna owe me," the General states boastfully.

**/**

**Well, Bryce Larkin not a douche bag? What? That can't possibly be, can it? He's defending Sarah's honor. Jaytoyz is not going to be happy with me. At least I made him a bit of a pussy for leaving Sarah. I also felt like Graham and Sarah should've shared a more father-daughter relationship, but the show never showed it. It looks like everyone is getting involved in this one. Not only a small fiery General, but a large husky Major too? That's madness (this is Sparta!).**

**I originally had Ellie scream that he wasn't Sam Fisher as he is a government spy and that is kind of an homage to what Chuck is (technically was now) in the actual show. In inspiration to everyone wanting him to go all Rambo on Sarah's captors, I had to switch it out.**

**I always thought that Ellie should've been more into Chuck and Sarah's relationship. The ups and downs they went through were more than a rollercoaster. Ellie should've been there for Chuck more and I wish Chuck would've at least had Ellie help him try to win Sarah over. Ellie is a huge part of Chuck's life and he should've confided in her more. I hope you like the little hint at what Chuck could've been doing if Bryce never got him kicked out (hehe). You know what to do.**

**Please review.**


	17. Lending a Helping Hand

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They have really made this story stronger with all your suggestions and praise. Ramble time: Du-dun-du-dun du-dun du-dun, can't touch this. I know it's impossible to write out a beat of a song, but it is what it is.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Chuck hasn't turned his phone off since making the call to the CIA a few hours ago. He is still holding on hope that they will contact him. The logical side of his brain is telling him that it isn't going to happen, but his right side holds the creativity to give him enough hope to keep the phone with him at all times. He checks his phone for the umpteenth time to see if he has a missed call or someone is calling. He could swear that he has developed phantom vibration syndrome in his leg. It keeps making him feel like his phone is vibrating but it isn't. Chuck hates it, but he hates not having Sarah safe even more.

Dinner was depressing without her. He never did reacquire his appetite. It just wasn't the same without her. It felt like there was a gloomy cloud over their heads as they all ate in silence. Devon was even unusually quiet. He usually talks about how the patients are doing or how he nearly exceeded a thousand sit-ups. Chuck hasn't had the heart to see the patients since Sarah left. He doesn't want to show his face in fear that his depression would rub off on them and the last thing medical patients need is someone moping around them.

_Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith, Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic, Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War,_ Chuck mindlessly browses through his Star Wars comics as he doesn't really feel up to reading anything. His leg vibrating for the umpteenth time raises his hope as he reaches for his phone. He pulls it out to check the screen when the ringer starts blaring. Chuck's eyes widen and his heart lifts in spirits. He was so used to seeing the black screen of nothingness.

_Take that left side of the brain,_ the right side of Chuck's brain teases.

"Hello?" Chuck asks as the hope pours from his tone.

"Is this…" the woman on the phone pauses as if she is trying to read off a list or pronounce something. "…Charles Bar… towski?"

"Yes?" Chuck hopes to any god that it isn't some stupid telemarketer wasting his time or he is going to have to go on a rant filled with a plethora of expletives.

"This is Brigadier General Diane Beckman," the woman states with a resounding pride that shows she has earned her place in the world. Chuck's eyes widen farther than he knew was possible. "You recently contacted the CIA about a missing agent?"

"Yes," Chuck sighs gratefully. "Oh thank god. You have to do something," he starts rambling. "She doesn't deserve anything—"

"Mr. Bartowski," Beckman cuts his rambling short with a demanding voice. "I am preparing a team to rescue Agent Walker, but we can use your help on this."

"Really?" Chuck's eyebrows rise to complement his widened eyes that still haven't found their way back to normal. "What do you need me to do? I can—"

"Mr. Bartowski, please," Beckman is quickly starting to dislike this man because he talks way too much. "Do you have any details of the layout of the complex or the number of enemies to help with the rescue of Agent Walker?"

"Uh… well, I've never actually been there, but I know what their leader looks like and Sarah told me some things about the complex. Um… will I get to see Sarah again?"

"We'll see."

"I… She needs to see a familiar face. She… I want to be there when you rescue her," Chuck nearly demands as a seldom seen confidence grows inside him.

"Absolutely not," Beckman scolds. "You are only a civilian."

"Then… Then I'm not telling you anything unless you let me be there," Chuck argues in a slightly juvenile pout. Chuck flinches back as he realizes who he is arguing with, a five star brigadier general.

"Are you threatening me?" Beckman nearly shouts at the backbone of this civilian. She really is taking a disliking to this man and they've only been talking for a minute.

"No, I just want to be there. She needs to see a familiar face to make sure she doesn't do anything irrational."

Beckman grumbles as she should've just lied to the man and said that he can see her. Why did she have to put on a sincere façade for this man? "You will not be part of the team, but a helicopter can pick you up when my men have the area secured. Does that work?"

"You promise?" Chuck asks with pure innocence.

Beckman is surprised by how trusting this man sounds. From the tone of his voice, he would believe anything she told him. She has made promises to strangers that fell short when she no longer needed them, but something inside her tells her that this man deserves to have his small request filled out. "Yes, I promise that you will be able to see Agent Walker once the area is secured," Beckman assures with pure determination.

"Thank you uh… Brigadier General," Chuck says after he isn't sure what to call her.

"General is fine," Beckman says with an airy tone. "So, Mr. Bartowski, we could use any information that will help rescue Agent Walker with minimal to no casualties."

"Chuck is fine," Chuck smiles for the first time in ages as his mind reels about Sarah being saved and seeing her again. It is the greatest feeling to know that they are going to do something and his stomach is fluttering with the amazing feeling.

"Alright, Chuck."

"Well, Sarah didn't explain the details but she told me that the leader's cabin is the northernmost cabin and the guards stay in the longest cabin," Chuck explains as he tries his best to recall the information that Sarah casually explained while Chuck was questioning her about how it was to be stuck there. She gave him a surprisingly detailed explanation of how she was able to escape. Now that Chuck thinks about it, it must've been a spy thing to remember such grueling details. He remembers the living arrangements and cringes with his eyes closed shut. "And the cells," he says with a renewed distaste in his tone, "were on the south side."

"Thank you, Chuck. Is there anything else you can help us with?" Beckman says humbly as she can hear how disgusted he is with the people.

"Well, when Sarah was here, they attacked us and we um… killed quite a few," Chuck hates the thought of killing but he knows that he was doing it to save the ones he loves, even if he lost one of those people in the end.

"So their numbers will be diminished?" Beckman muses with almost a devious tone. "Do you know what type of weapons they are carrying?"

"I don't know the specific weapon manufacturers, but they each had an assault rifle, pistol, and knife on them. I can get one of the guns if you want me to identify it somehow."

"That won't be necessary," Beckman says with a light tone. "You did a great job, Chuck. A team is already on their way and you can expect a chopper in twelve hours."

"Thank you General," Chuck says with relief pouring out of him. "Sarah means a lot to me."

"I understand that and we'll bring her back safely. Sarah would be proud," Beckman ends the call. Something about helping people in need gives her a satisfied smile, and this Chuck Bartowski seemed worriedly adamant in helping free Agent Walker. It seems that Sarah is weaseling her way into everyone's hearts. First Graham, then Bryce, and now this Chuck Bartowski? Sarah Walker seems to be a hot commodity as of late.

/

Major John Casey slides his phone back into his pocket inside a cramped apartment with nine other men; chopper blades churning and propelling above the roof causing a resonating sound throughout the apartment. Eight of the men are part of his old Marine team from Afghanistan and the ninth is a new member, a CIA pansy (Casey's exact words). Casey hasn't even had the chance to touch American soil as he went straight from Costa Gravas to a U.S. safe zone in Burma to meet up with his team at the modified Black Hawk. They were all prepared including the new edition that Casey could definitely do without, Bryce Larkin.

Casey has heard the name before. The man was known as a glorified douche bag. He only cared about himself and accomplishing the mission. Semper fidelis was never used in his dictionary, but then again, he wasn't a Marine. Casey would never leave a man behind like he did to Walker. Casey would give the pansy an admonishing, but he can read the expression of guilt on Bryce's face and he can see that the man is at least trying to repent for what he did to Sarah Walker. Everyone knows how much tougher torture is for female agents. They have… disadvantageous features against their torturers.

Casey knew Sarah Walker from a mission way back when she was with an all-female team. She was a professional; cold, but professional. She knew how to get the job done without as much as an inch off the original plan; that made his job of assassinating the target that much easier. She was quick, efficient, calculated, and smooth. Sure, she was a looker, but who wasn't among the CIA skirts? The team she was part of says it all: four extremely gorgeous girls working together. Too much estrogen for Casey's likes, but they were a good team. He still holds his grudge against Walker's ex-partner Carina Miller for what she did to him in Prague. It was interesting and he would like to just leave it at that.

"Major?" Sergeant Marks asks, breaking Casey from his musing. "Any updates from the General?"

"Yes, it looks like the northernmost cabin," Casey points to the cabin on the map of the complex, "is where we'll find their leader. This structure here," he points to the longest building, "is the guard's quarters. Agent Walker's location is most likely here," he points to the southernmost structure that looks like just a large square without a roof, but is the cage holding the prisoners. "Agent Walker is our main priority, but I want to take over the complex and find the bastard responsible for this," he finishes in a near growl as his anger rises.

/

Chuck is almost on a euphoric high at the revelation that Sarah is going to rescued by American soldiers. He has a big smile of relief on his face as he scours the hallways not sure what to do. He just has to wait till nine in the morning for the chopper to pick him up. It is an odd time, but he could care less; Sarah is being saved! This is going to be the longest wait of his life, but he knows he can endure it for the greatest prize waiting at the end. He sees Ellie and Devon talking by the front door and he walks up to Ellie and plants a wet sloppy kiss right on Ellie's lips. She was in too much shock to react as he retracts his lips and goes in for a kiss on Devon's lips. Devon was lucky enough to realize in time what Chuck was going to do and held him back at arm's length.

"Ugh… gross," Ellie wipes her lips with the back of her wrists vigorously as if she now has some juvenile fictional disease like cooties. "What the hell, Chuck?"

"I love you guys," he says happily as he pulls both of them into a hug with each arm.

"Uh… okay? We love you too?" Ellie raises an eyebrow at Chuck's sudden happiness.

"Group hug?" Devon chimes as he wraps his arms around both Bartowski siblings. "Awesome." He squeezes them tighter for a few seconds before letting go.

Chuck releases them and smiles brightly at Ellie. "It is awesome! Sarah is going to be saved!"

"What?" Ellie's eyes widen. "How?"

"Really, bro?" Devon's eyes widen too. Chuck has always been like a brother to him and his two younger brothers are way too obsessed with their own jobs that they never even come around to see how he's doing. Plus, they are way too strict compared to how lenient Chuck is. Devon gets sick of them in a matter of seconds compared to the easy-going, fun Chuck.

"I just got off the phone with a brigadier general! She said she was sending in a small team to rescue her! I helped them too!"

"I'm so glad," Ellie hugs Chuck happily. Ellie knows that all Chuck has ever wanted to do was to help with rescuing Sarah and now he did in more ways than one.

"And they're gonna pick me up in a chopper to see Sarah. It's going to be amazing! I'm going to see Sarah again," Chuck says with tears of joy.

"Outstanding, bro," Devon pats Chuck on the shoulder.

"Do you know if there is any gas left in the truck?" Chuck asks quickly as Ellie releases the hug to look into the great man that is her brother. "I um… kind of want to get her something," he says with a shy tone.

"Well, there might be enough scrounged to get into town," Devon supplies with a shrug.

"Good," Chuck nods determinedly.

"What are you going to get her?" Ellie asks with curious eyes.

"I don't know, but I want to show her how much I appreciate her."

"You're so romantic," Ellie rummages her hand through his hair vigorously. Chuck's head is pushed downward as he allows Ellie the intrusive touching for just this one occasion.

/

Sarah is having trouble sleeping. It's not that she is no longer sleeping on a bed and is reduced to the ground. It's not that she is no longer wearing shoes or socks, no matter how much she misses wearing those soft clouds. Her reason for insomnia is Chuck. Not him so much, but what her mind is portraying him as. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees Chuck crying and begging her to come back. When she tries to run into his arms, he just keeps getting farther and farther away like some sick joke. She just wants to jump back into his arms and hold him close. Chuck is the only one who loved her and she wants the warm content feelings back. She cannot spend her life in this prison knowing how much she is hurting Chuck. She needs to find a way out, for Chuck's sake.

She just wants to feel his touch again. She wants to know he is still real and not just a figment of her imagination. She is afraid the entire escape was just her mind playing tricks on her. She is afraid Chuck was never real and she just created the perfect man. She is afraid that if Chuck isn't real then she isn't a beautiful angel and just a horrible monster that doesn't deserve to live. Captivity is a horrible way to spend your life because you lose track of time and what is real and what's not. Your mind starts playing tricks on you and you don't know what is going on anymore. She cannot even remember how long she's been in captivity. Has it really been less than a day? It feels like it has been forever since she was last in Chuck's arms sleeping peacefully.

The moon is at its peak so she estimates the time of about midnight to one in the morning. She was already given that goop for dinner. She refused it along with that disgustingly green water. She is not going to stoop to that level again, even if she dies of dehydration. At least she will die fighting. Chuck freed her from herself and that is enough for her to be ready for the next life. She understands her life is over now and she can finally die in peace.

She sees all the other prisoners sleeping in different positions, but all of them are uncomfortable. She closes her eyes and rests her back on the posts of the prison cell. _I miss you Chuck,_ she states in her mind before trying to fall back asleep.

/

"We'll be on the ground in nine hours," the chopper pilot's voice resonates throughout the cabin of the chopper to update the team on their estimated arrival.

"Alright," Casey looks at his team. "When we land, we regroup one click north of the complex. CIA," he looks over at Bryce, "no hero antics. I know how you pansies get."

Everyone lets out a good-hearted laugh at the joke.

"This is my team and we do this my way," Casey finishes with an impenetrable mentality.

"By all means," Bryce smirks as he leans back in his seat.

"After we regroup, we fan out and surround the complex. Make sure all your headsets are working and wait for my go."

"Yes, sir," Everyone chants enthusiastically.

Everyone is managing their equipment when one of the sergeants walks up to Casey. "So, how're you adjusting to life outside a wall?" He jokingly asks with a snicker.

"Shut up, Wilkes," Casey snorts in a joking manner. "But off the record, it feels pretty god damn good!"

"It's good to have you back, sir," Wilkes salutes with a smile.

"It's good to be back," Casey chants in a happy grunt. "Now let's get some gunplay in."

Casey and Wilkes both snort mirthfully. Casey loves his job more than anything except for his country. Reagan falls to a close third in that list.

/

Sleep continues to evade Sarah as she looks at the surrounding darkness. All she can really see is the other prisoners and the two guards outside her cage. That sick bastard is taking full advantage of the woman once again. Something just feels off about tonight. She cannot tell if it is good or bad though. Call it her spy instincts if you will, but there is something different about this night. Maybe it is the way the wind is blowing south or the eerily cold atmosphere. It may even be that this is her first night without the luxury of saying goodnight to Chuck. She could be detoxing after losing Chuck. She can't explain the feeling as goose bumps form on her skin. She needs to find some kind of salvation and she wishes there was a way to contact Chuck.

She wishes she could have telepathy like those Star Wars characters in Chuck's comics. Then she could tell him how much she cares about him and he can give her a comforting 'goodnight Sarah' that she desperately needs to lull her to sleep. She could also respond with her own 'goodnight Chuck' that will set him at ease and hopefully put him to a restful sleep if he is having trouble sleeping. If she just had those… Jedi Powers, if she remembers what they are called. She could just mind control a guard to let her out and then use lightning like that ominous Sith Lord character to disintegrate the bastard who put her in this cage.

She has to let out a tiny smile at how much Chuck has changed her. She had never heard of Jedi's or the force before, but Chuck threw all those fantasy ideas into her head just like he did with the patients. She knows it is the dumbest thing ever but she hopes he somehow gets her message. She whispers softly, "Goodnight Chuck," before trying to fall back asleep.

/

The modified Black Hawk helicopter finds an opening in the lush jungle trees and lands just over a mile north of the enemy complex at about six in the morning. The sun hasn't quite risen over the horizon, but it is light enough to see their surroundings. The helicopter was specifically upgraded to have stealth capabilities with a specially made propeller that dampens the sound. The minute the chopper touches the ground, Casey steps out first followed by Bryce and then all the soldiers. Casey checks his M4 assault rifle before signaling his men to head out.

The pilot is not exactly happy with the deviation from the plan. He was supposed to sit there and wait for the team to capture the complex, but now he has to pick up some random stranger. Casey couldn't tell him any reason why, except for that was his mission. So now he has to go north a good thirty miles to pick up this person only to come right back to the complex. It sounds like a waste of fuel, but at least he will not get bored. Casey gives him a thumbs up signal and the pilot takes the chopper back into the air.

Casey directs his men south while they all scan their surroundings carefully. They march quietly and quickly through the dense jungle as they approach the complex. As the complex appears in their view, Casey stops them with a palm up.

"Alright, men," Casey instructs. "I want you to fan out and get into your positions. Wait for my signal to attack. Do not kill anyone unless absolutely necessary. I want this done quickly and cleanly. You got that?"

"Yes sir," Everyone nods and whispers to him before each soldier breaks from the path.

Casey watches his team scatter stealthily into the bushes. He sees Bryce heading out too and grabs him by the shoulder. "Where're you going?" Casey demands slightly angered.

"I want to make sure Sarah is safe," Bryce answers nonchalantly.

"This is my mission. You're with me. You watch my back, I watch yours. This is no place for your pansy ass heroics," Casey grunts fastidiously.

Bryce rolls his eyes as he knows he will never be able to change the cold school republican Casey is. "Fine, whatever," Bryce responds lethargically.

"You better not fuck this up," Casey states with narrowed eyes.

"You got no faith in me?" Bryce smirks smugly.

"Nope," Casey nods determinedly with a tiny smirk. "Not one single bit."

/

Every team of soldiers consists of two men. They all approach the borders of the complex from the two o'clock position, five, seven, nine, and twelve positions. Agent Walker is at the southernmost point so the five and seven will protect her first.

"Blue team is in position," Casey hears his headset crackle to life after setting up at the two' o'clock position.

"Roger that," Casey responds as he and Bryce set up at the twelve o'clock position.

A few minutes later, red team acknowledges that they're in position followed by yellow and finally green gets to their position at the five o'clock of the complex.

"Green team in position, sir."

"Roger that. Alright," Casey orders "get ready for my signal." Casey and Bryce both approach the northernmost cabin in a stealthy crouch. There is no enemy contact in sight yet and everything seems to be absolutely quiet.

**/**

**How do you like that? No warnings for mature situations in this chapter. Next chapter is when things go down and a possible reunion between past affiliates? Yikes!**

**Please review.**


	18. A Not So Friendly Reunion

**Thanks for the reviews. I am amazed that of all chapters of this story, the last chapter got the most. That is awesome and only makes me want to strive to make this chapter better; all 5,750 words of it. Longest chapter yet, just for all you awesome readers.**

**I probably should've said this in the beginning, but in no way whatsoever am I depicting Thailand as a savage country. This story is purely fictional and the events are not based on any true events. It was mostly just inspired by "Chuck Versus the Phase Three" which Sarah kicks ass and takes names, and a little of the movie Valhalla Rising. There is another movie that this is similar to, but I'll let you guys figure that out. I have never been to Thailand and have no idea how it truthfully is.**

**There is some mature language in this chapter but still a PG-13 rating, I believe.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Chuck is pacing nervously just outside the clinic. The helicopter is coming to pick him up at nine in the morning. He had trouble sleeping because of the euphoric high the phone call about Sarah's forthcoming rescue gave him. Chuck's mind is racing with what he is going to do the minute he sees Sarah. He would more than anything like to give her a loving kiss on the lips after losing her for what felt like ages, but he doesn't want to be too forward with her. He doesn't want to… scare her away after all. He already has his backpack filled with everything he feels is pertinent to the situation. The clock is finally nearing nine in the morning and he has never been more nervous in his life.

He's never flown in a helicopter before. He has rarely even flown in a plane. The thought is exhilarating but fearful too. Are there going to be seatbelts inside or does he need to stand and hold onto a strap? Are there doors to it or is it an open cabin? Chuck doesn't know what to think, but a soft churning sound starts to develop in his ears. The sound gradually increases in volume as he looks up to see a dark blemish on the brightening blue sky. After looking for a few seconds, he sees the silhouette of darkness lowering from the sky.

The sound continues to churn as a Black Hawk helicopter lowers itself in the clearing in front of the clinic. Chuck watches in awe as a strong breeze radiates from the chopper's propeller blowing back all the bushes and shrubbery. As the helicopter lands, Chuck slowly walks towards it; ducking just in case. He doesn't need to duck as the blade is a good eight feet high, but he's not going to risk anything.

The pilot steps out of the cockpit with his hand around his holstered handgun. "Sir," he nearly yells over the slowing propeller blades. "Are you Chuck… Bukowski? Is that how you say it?"

"Bartowski," Chuck smiles brightly. "I'm all ready to go," he responds with his thick curly brown hair bounces unceremoniously from the strength of the propeller.

"Good," the pilot nods as he opens the cabin door to the helicopter. Chuck's eyes widen at how spacious it looks. It's not first class, but it can easily fit ten people and then some. Chuck doesn't know what the weight capacity is, but he could care less. It's only going to be only him on there with the pilot for now. "Come on in," the pilot says sincerely. Chuck steps into the cabin of the helicopter and looks around in awe. "You can sit up front if you'd like."

"Sure," Chuck grins brightly at how awesome this is. Not only is he going to be seeing Sarah again and she's going to be safe, but he's going to ride in a military chopper too. Chuck takes the seat in the co-pilot's spot and smiles brightly at the pilot as he climbs into the pilot's seat.

The pilot can see how excited Chuck is and it reminds him of himself when he first stepped into a Black Hawk. "Buckle up for safety," the pilot informs Chuck as he buckles himself.

"Can I just say that this is awesome?" Chuck asks mirthfully.

"Go ahead," the pilot laughs as the helicopter churns back to life and starts to levitate.

/

"Alright men, move in quietly and efficiently," Casey orders as he and Bryce start converging towards the center of the complex.

"Sir," Sergeant Wilkes, part of the blue team, chirps in the radio, "we have movement. It looks like six tangos are assembling. They are heading south."

"Hold your position but don't lose eyes on them," Casey responds slightly agitated.

Casey and Bryce get to the northernmost cabin, which intel points to being the leader's. Casey takes the right side of the cabin while Bryce takes the left. As Casey rounds the side of the cabin, he sees no one in sight so he continues aimed down the sights of his M4 as he marches on. He sees a small window into the cabin and hears noises coming from inside. He continues around the corner to see two guards sitting outside the cabin. Before he can plan the most effective way to eliminate the guards, the door swings open and the Boss walks out with a smirk on his face. Casey hides against the wall as he eavesdrops.

"This is going to be great," the Boss rubs his hands together devilishly. "What a surprise!" He starts heading south while the guards follow at his sides.

Once the Boss is out of earshot, Casey turns on his intercom. "Big Boy is on the move heading south," he informs the rest of the team.

"I have eyes on the package. It looks like only two guards," Sergeant Jacobs, part of the green team, informs Casey.

"Hold your position and watch for any movement of the tangos," Casey responds. He knows that they have to do this smart and killing a couple guards is going to just force a gun battle that they don't need to get into.

"Yes, sir."

Casey and Bryce meet at the front door of the Boss' cabin. Casey gives him a hand signal to inform him that they are breaching. Bryce nods quietly as Casey readies himself. Bryce aims down the sight of his M4 as Casey kicks the door in. They both quickly check the room for any hostiles, but it is clear. They see a bed in the corner along with a desk in the center of the room. They carefully leave the cabin as they follow the direction the Boss went.

/

Sarah's ears perk up as she can feel something coming. It must be some type of spy intuition because the earth finally feels like it is balancing itself out. She looks around her to see the a few guards walking towards the cage. She eyes them suspiciously as they get to the cage. One of the guards opens it and they walk straight up to her. "Time to fight," the guard says sickeningly happy as he pulls her by her handcuffs. The thought of killing the man flashes through her mind, but there would be four more to deal with then. The guard drags her out of the cage while the other two newcomers hold their guns to her. After they lock the cage behind her, they lead her straight towards the arena.

/

"Sir," Sergeant Jacobs speaks through their headsets, "they are moving the package."

"Shit," Casey grunts agitatedly. "Follow the package. She is our number one priority."

"Copy that," Jacobs responds as he watches them take the handcuffed Sarah northeast.

/

Blue team approaches the soldier's cabin. They make their way around it to find no guards on duty. Sergeant Wilkes and Sergeant Pressley make their way to the door. They already saw some guards leave the structure so they aren't sure what to expect. _No locks,_ Wilkes smirks slightly. That will make it easier on him. Wilkes and Pressley step into the cabin quietly. The room is dimly lit with only a single lamp in the corner and no windows.

They look down the two rows of bunk beds to count twenty-four beds but only two people. The people are getting dressed with their backs turned towards the two marines. Wilkes slides his combat knife from his sheath and flashes it at Pressley. He nods as he pulls out his knife out too. Using the advantage of stealth, they sneak up behind the two enemies and wrap a hand over the mouth of each target while slicing open their necks. The two enemies drown in their own blood before they could even try to scream. They make sure the room is clear before doing anything else.

"This is blue team," Wilkes informs Casey. "Took out two tangos silently inside the guard quarters."

"Roger that," Casey responds quickly. "Looks like they are mobilizing on the east side of the complex. Head over so we can surround them."

"Yes, sir," Wilkes nods as he looks at Pressley.

/

Red team finds themselves with the most enemies as they see about twenty-five people gathered around what looked like a square structure without a roof on the maps. The people are blocking their sights so they are still hidden in the shrubbery. "Sir," Sergeant Marks whispers. "Looks like we have dozens of contact on this side. There's about three guards and twenty civilians."

"We're converging on the position now," Casey responds. "Stay hidden until my signal."

"Roger that," Marks whispers as he looks at his partner, Sergeant Willows.

/

Sarah is unceremoniously pushed into the arena that has been the scourge of the last two years of her life. There is dried blood along the planks that make the wall. The mud is still thick and grimy, and looks like it may have some blood mixed in with it. She looks across the way at a man standing in the arena. It must be her opponent, but she doesn't know if she can fight anymore. She's not the monster she once was. Chuck has shown her that she is not a horrible person and definitely not someone who kills people for no reason.

She can feel the two guards trained on her as they remove her handcuffs. They go to wrap her wrists with the bandages, but she drops her hands to her sides. The guard grunts angrily as he tries to grab her left hand to bandage it up. She quickly throws a jab that knocks the guard to the ground, mud clinging to the back of his pants and shirt. She feels the guns that were pointed on her now prodding into her back after her stunt.

"You bitch," the guard narrows his eyes at her as he reaches back ready to slap her across the face.

"Enough," the Boss stops the guard with just his voice as he climbs into his high chair. "If she doesn't want them, then she doesn't want them."

The guard gives her a dirty glance and sighs in frustration before leaving Sarah with her arms free from the bandaging. The guards with their guns directed on her retreat and lock the arena behind them.

"Alright," the Boss projects his voice, "now that I have my prized possession back, we can get this show on the road!"

Sarah narrows her eyes at him. She is not an object that people own and calling her a possession is just sickening. She has to clench her jaw to stop herself from letting out a chain of expletives. Sarah looks at her opponent and she notices he wants to fight. He has the twinkle in his eyes that gives him a conceited, confident aura that shows he is ready to satiate his bloodlust.

"Fight!" The Boss finally exclaims.

Sarah's opponent gets into a fighting stance while she doesn't move a single muscle. She stands there flat footed and reluctant to fight. The opponent furrows his brow slightly at her peculiar style of fighting.

"I said fight!" The Boss starts to get a little annoyed.

Sarah still doesn't move. She is not about to stoop to their level. At least not anymore; not after Chuck. She'd rather not fight and die then fight and live a life of being someone's entertainment.

"Fight!" The Boss shouts angrily. When she doesn't react, he grumbles loudly as he glances at one of the guards and gives him a slight nod.

The guard disappears for a second before coming back with a large combat knife. He throws it to Sarah's opponent who catches it by the handle. "This'll be fun," he smirks evilly as he lunges blade first towards Sarah. She quickly sidesteps and her opponent misses completely. "Come on," he eyes her up and down sickeningly, "just lie down and take it."

Again, Sarah has to stop herself from letting out a chain of expletives as she clenches her jaw. The man attacks again and she sidesteps his attack with ease.

"Come on!" The Boss growls angrily. "Fight back, you bitch!"

Her opponent attacks again with a horizontal slice that she ducks under. He comes at her again with a diagonal slice and she catches his arm above her head and kicks him away from her with just enough strength to push him back. He comes at her again with all his momentum, but she easily dodges the attack as she turns and leans back. The man stumbles forward with the blade dragging in the mud. "AGH!" The man screams in frustration as he throws the knife at her. She leans back as she drops into a limbo-like position as the knife soars just over her head and sticking into the plank behind her. As she starts to pull herself up, her opponent sprints at her and pushes her back before she can completely regain her balance. Her back hits the hilt of the blade as it crushes into her lower back. The pain is harsh as she slides off of it and hits the wood behind her.

Her opponent backs up with an arrogant smirk as he throws a right punch towards Sarah's face. She quickly deflects it away with her left hand and knees him in the stomach. As he lurches forward from the wind-knocking blow, she follows it up putting all her strength into a punch right between the eyes. She lets out a loud intimidating growl as the blow rocks her opponent. The man falls backwards, mud splashing from his heavy impact. He is about to get up when he hears the loud bang of a gun being fired. A single shot rings out through the complex.

"Freeze!" A loud gruff voice commands all the attention as the crowd goes silent. Everyone looks at Casey, who is holding an M4 towards the Boss. Suddenly, nine more men dressed in dark green BDU outfits appear with M4s trained on every guard. All the guards put their guns down and their hands up at the defeat.

Sarah's eyes widen when she sees Casey step into the arena with his gun trained on the Boss. Her mind is reeling at seeing Major John Casey here. She doesn't know how he found out about her position or the fact that the government would even be willing to rescue her.

"Looks like we were just in time," Casey remarks sarcastically towards Sarah.

"I had him," Sarah responds with a scoff. Casey responds with his own amused scoff.

"Looks like everything is all good," Casey informs the pilot through his headset.

/

Chuck is wearing a headset that not only dampens the propellers farther, but lets him listen in on their radio conversations. Chuck's heart swirls with anticipation and hope as he hears Major Casey's voice say everything is good.

"Looks like the mission was a success," the pilot informs Chuck joyfully. "No casualties and they have the leader in custody."

"Thank god," Chuck sighs gratefully. "What are they going to do with the leader?"

"This mission is technically off the books, so they can't incarcerate him. I would expect them to finish him quickly," the pilot shrugs as it is never really his job to think about this stuff.

"K… k… kill him?" Chuck stutters fearfully. He may've killed a person or two back when defending the clinic, but he isn't honestly certain of it. The thought of killing still unnerves him and he hates the feeling that rises inside him.

"I'd expect them to make it quick and clean, but I don't really ever think about it. I just get them from point A to point B. You know," the pilot shrugs again, "that stuff. I haven't even had to kill someone myself yet. Just don't think about. Agent Walker is safe and secure. That should be what's going on in your mind."

"Thanks," Chuck says as his mind does think about how Sarah is finally safe. A smile forms on his face as he thinks about her getting her freedom back.

/

Sarah looks over Casey with a furrowed brow. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asks, unknowingly letting her curiosity sound like disgust.

"Rescuing you," Casey responds nonchalantly.

"Really," Sarah rolls her eyes as she shakes her head. "I know, but how?"

"Got a call from Beckman. I guess someone thought you were important," Casey teases lightheartedly.

Sarah's first thoughts head straight to concluding Chuck must've called it in. Then she notices a face she hasn't seen in a long time, but could recognize it from a mile out. "Bryce?"

"Sarah!" He pulls her into a hug that she doesn't fully reciprocate as she is still in shock at seeing him of all people. Multiple emotions race through her mind at seeing the man she used to think she loved and the person who left her to this hell. At first, she was angry with Bryce for leaving her completely all alone. She wasn't necessarily scared, but she was lonely and had no outlook on life, but over time, she matured and came to peace with her anger and what events have happened in her life. She understands that the mission has always been first priority and she was third priority in Bryce's eyes.

_Maybe Chuck didn't have anything to do with my escape,_ Sarah thinks sadly which makes her think Chuck's already gotten over her.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" He steps back and sees the multiple scars along her arms and cringes slightly. "What did they do to you?" He asks as he inspects the scars littering her body.

"I'm fine," Sarah retorts slightly annoyed at how he eyed her up. She saw the way Bryce looked at her. He looked like he was staring at something ugly and grotesque. Chuck never looked at her that way and it just makes it hurt more that Chuck has probably already gotten over her. "Thanks for asking," she deadpans. "So, how did you find me now?"

"Someone called it in to the CIA," Bryce says happily.

"It must've been Chuck," Sarah smiles admiringly as her eyes glaze over with thoughts of the amazing man and her heart clenches with joy. _Maybe Chuck didn't move onto someone better,_ she thinks hopefully.

Bryce furrows his brow as he hasn't heard that name in over two years. Obviously, his mind goes directly to the man he screwed over in college, the man who was his best friend, Chuck Bartowski. The name Chuck isn't exactly common but all the way in Thailand? There is absolutely no way it can be the same Chuck.

/

Chuck sees Sarah's golden hair in the sunlight from his seat in the helicopter while they are descending. She is beautiful. His heart is beating with utter bliss as he has a first look on her being safe. He notices one of Casey's marines making his way towards them. The helicopter is still descending when he sees the man pull her into a hug. His heart instantly twists with pain as he doesn't know who she is hugging. Now his mind is going absolutely insane with thoughts of what is going on and who is hugging Sarah. He wills the helicopter to drop quicker as his heart continues to twist abnormally. The pain is greater than he has ever felt before. The marines are gathering up all the remaining guards and dispersing the disgusting people who were gambling on the fights.

The helicopter lands successfully and Chuck immediately unbuckles his safety belt and slips into the back, putting his backpack back on. "Stay in the chopper," the pilot demands as he knows it is unsafe for a civilian to be running around at this time.

Chuck glances back at the pilot for an instant before throwing open the door and bolting out of the chopper, completing disregarding the man's orders. "Wait!" The pilot grunts loudly as Chuck makes it past his grasps and he needs to unbuckle first.

Chuck nearly sprints up to Sarah and slows down his sprint to a jog and finally a swift walk as he steps up to Sarah as she just stepped out of the arena with the mysterious man she was hugging. Chuck's eyes don't leave her for even a second. "Sarah," Chuck says breathily with relief as he looks upon the mesmerizing blue eyes shining through the darkness.

"Chuck?" Sarah sees his cute curly hair flopping as it catches up to him and his chocolate inviting brown eyes. She jumps into his arms and holds him as close to her as humanly possible. Chuck's arms wrap around her and cradle her in his embrace. She feels that safe, secure warmth his arms always give her. She molds to his body as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"I was so worried, Sarah," Chuck says as he has to fight tears of joy from escaping; not able to take his eyes off the wingless angel. "I'm so glad you're okay." Chuck feels the warmth her body gives him from just a single touch.

"Chuck?" Bryce queries with wide eyes and heightened eyebrows as his words break them from their loving embrace.

"Bryce?" Chuck looks at the man he had called his nemesis many times over the last five years.

"You guys know each other?" Sarah asks in surprise as she steps out of Chuck.

"You guys know each other?" Chuck asks in just as much surprise.

"Wait! You guys know each other?" Bryce repeats with just as much shock as Chuck and Sarah.

"What is going on?" Chuck is the first to speak. "What're you doing here, Bryce?" His tone turns to bitter venom as he looks upon the man who ruined his life.

"Rescuing my partner," Bryce responds.

Before Chuck could control himself, he unleashes a hard right hook that takes Bryce by surprise. Chuck is generally a tranquil person. He has rarely ever raised his fist towards someone and never actually hit someone before. But the thought of Bryce leaving Sarah overflowed him with anger.

Bryce stumbles back as he rubs his jaw tenderly. "I guess I deserve that," he groans with slight surprise by how much strength Chuck has.

"How could you just leave her?" Chuck nearly yells as all the pent up anger he buried finds its way to the surface. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I made a mistake," Bryce states in a tone that says the past is the past and there is nothing they can do about it now.

Chuck punches Bryce again in the exact same spot with just as much anger. Sarah is just appalled by the scene before her. She has never seen Chuck so angry and she actually feels fairly proud that Chuck would defend her honor so vehemently.

"I'm guessing that was for Stanford?" Bryce says with a small smirk as a tiny stream of blood runs down the side of his mouth.

"You put her through hell!" Chuck states angrily. "For two fucking years!"

"Chuck," Sarah says softly as she places her hand on his shoulder. "Please calm down," she pleads in a soft tone. Bryce is surprised that Sarah would come to his aid. He expected thrashing from Sarah more than Chuck. "Hitting him isn't going to change the past."

"How are you not angry with him?" Chuck asks lividly as he looks at Sarah.

"Because I've gotten over it," Sarah responds seriously as she looks into his eyes. "Now, Chuck, how do you guys know each other?"

"Sarah," Chuck looks at Sarah with pure hatred for the man next to him. "Meet the man who ruined my life by getting me expelled and stealing my girlfriend."

"What?" Sarah's eyes widen as she takes on a murderous glare at Bryce. How could he do something like that to someone so innocent and sweet and amazing? "How could you?" Sarah clenches her right fist ready to punch Bryce for what he's done to Chuck.

"Wait!" Bryce flinches back in surprise. He is not about to take another beating, especially for something he didn't do. "I did not take your girlfriend. Who? Jill? I didn't touch her. I would never do that to you, buddy."

"I'm not your buddy," Chuck retorts bitterly. "I can't believe you'd have the audacity to lie to my face like that."

Sarah is in complete astonishment. Her ex-partner and who she thought she loved at one point is the same man who screwed over the man she now loves. If it wasn't such a bitter reunion, she could joke about it being such a small world.

"I swear," Bryce stays adamant, "I didn't touch Jill."

"Then why did she tell me she was with you the instant we broke up?" Chuck asks as he crosses his arms in a defensive manner.

"I… I don't know," Bryce shakes his head subtly as he is telling the truth and doesn't have a reason for Jill being such a bitch. "I promise you that I never did anything with Jill. I would never do that to you, Chuck. You gotta believe me," Bryce pleads hopefully.

"But you'd steal test answers and put them under my bed to get me expelled from Stanford? You know that Stanford was my life. I had banked everything on it and you took it all away from me!"

"I can explain that," Bryce says calmly as his eyes soften with guilt. He hoped he was going to be able to cross off the second biggest regret on his list of regrets, but was not prepared to cross off the biggest regret of his life.

"Then explain," Chuck demands agitatedly.

"I can't get into all the specifics—"

"Oh, here we go," Chuck rolls his eyes at Bryce's bullshit.

Bryce drudges on unhindered by Chuck's hesitance to believe him. "The CIA was going to recruit you. Professor Fleming was a CIA recruiter and they were going to turn you into their own weapon . I couldn't let them do that to you, buddy. They just wanted you because you were smart and I couldn't let them turn you into an agent," he lowers his head somberly, "Into what I am now."

Chuck visibly softens as he was never good with guilt and sadness. He knew Bryce so well that he can still read him enough to tell he is speaking the truth. "Is this true?" Chuck asks seriously as his bitterness is slowly being replaced by curiosity.

"Yes, I didn't want you to lose who you were and I knew how smart you were. I thought you'd be able to figure out another way to make it big and be successful," Bryce's head stays lowered because he is ashamed of what he has done.

"Then why would Jill say she was with you?" Chuck starts to feel threatened by his angry demons inside. If Jill was with anyone else, it wouldn't have been as bad. But nope, she had to say the man who had just took his like away back then. How could she have played such a cruel joke on him? "Do you know how much that hurt?" He stares right into Bryce's eyes to convey his seriousness.

"I don't know," Bryce says soothingly and full of remorse. "That's totally fucked up to say though."

"She said she was with the man who betrayed you, Chuck?" Sarah asks slightly appalled. It seems like everyone had been out to ruin Chuck's life. Sarah almost wants to just hug Chuck and tell him everything is going to be alright. It is the first time in her life that she has ever felt like doing that too.

"Yep," Chuck says angered as he is still having a stare-off with Bryce.

"I'm sorry for everything," Bryce states remorsefully. "I hated doing it, but I was choosing the lesser of two evils."

"Why didn't you let me choose, huh?" Chuck asks emotionally as he is now feeling threatened by tears of anguish. "Who gave you the right to get me expelled? It's my life. I should get to choose!"

"I know, but they would've hyped it up to be so much more than what it really is. Ask Sarah, the spy life is not glamorous at all. It's nothing like a James Bond movie."

"Still," Chuck says as his anger settles at hearing Bryce's explanation.

"If it helps," Bryce smiles thinly, "I can run a background check on Jill. Make her life a living hell?"

"That's not necessary. I've moved on," Chuck says determinedly as he glances at Sarah, "to bigger and better things."

"This is the Chuck you always talked about when we were partners?" Sarah finally speaks again as she was just watching the reaction between the former best friends and classmates.

"Yes," Bryce nods ashamedly as he looks at Sarah.

Sarah looks upon Chuck's sullen face and can see his brown eyes glimmering brightly. She can see the swirls of hurt, anger, and confusion in them. She remembers all the stories Bryce talked about his friend Chuck. Bryce made Chuck out to be some kind of super cool genius. She was always embarrassed when she didn't have any stories compared to the hundreds that Bryce had, which Chuck was an integral part of the majority of them. She always thought those stories were exaggerating this 'Chuck' but he is exactly how Bryce described him. He is loving, sweet, innocent, nice, gentle, and amazing.

"You guys were really partners?" Chuck asks in slight disbelief. It is hard for him to get over the fact that Sarah is a CIA agent, but Bryce Larkin from Connecticut a CIA agent? He thought he was just some accountant of some small firm.

"Lovers, actually," Bryce responds nonchalantly as if he is only telling the truth after all.

Chuck's heart literally clenches in on itself at hearing that he and Sarah were together. The pain is almost unbearable as he tries his best not to react. It may be ridiculous because they didn't know each other at the time, but Chuck feels betrayed by Sarah.

Sarah immediately sees the change in Chuck's eyes to pure hurt and betrayal. Just seeing the hurt in his eyes makes her feel horrible and she just wants to hug Chuck and tell him everything is going to be alright. This is the second time in her life that she has ever gotten this urge.

"So… you guys," Chuck tries to hide his pain and disappointment but it seeps into his tone as his eyes dart between Bryce and Sarah to finally rest on Sarah, "were… together?"

Sarah sees the worried look on his face and it makes her feel worse. Now she feels like she betrayed Chuck for what Bryce did to him. "It was two years ago," Sarah explains softly. Sarah doesn't think Chuck should be worried about anything, but his face is just screaming fear and anxiety.

Chuck's heart is blackening at the realization that Sarah was with Bryce. Chuck has never felt like he could compete with Bryce in getting girls. The guy is just so damn charming and handsome compared to Chuck's nerdy look and antics. It hurts to think that he lost Sarah to Bryce. Someone as amazing as her couldn't possibly choose him over Bryce. Bryce is just so much better in Chuck's eyes. Bryce is a CIA spy, charming, handsome, and suave. Chuck doesn't have any of that and his shoulders start to sag at the revelation. He lost Sarah to Bryce and it is the hardest defeat of his life.

"Chuck?" Sarah looks at him with a worried expression as she sees him start to shut down and close himself off. She wants to know what is going on in his head right now. She was never good at relationship stuff and the look on Chuck's face is breaking her heart quickly. "What's in the backpack?" Sarah asks, changing the subject as she hates the gloominess shrouding over Chuck. If she can't read his mind, she'll change it.

"I…" Chuck drops his head for a brief second before looking back up at Sarah. "I brought you a change of clothes." He removes the backpack and opens it up to show her. "And I bought you some shoes to wear," he says almost disappointedly and it blackens Sarah's heart to hear him so dejected. "I thought you'd like to wear your own shoes for once."

"Thank you Chuck," Sarah's heart swells with gratitude and love. _Chuck really is the greatest man in the world_, Sarah thinks admiringly. She takes the backpack from his hands and gently places her right hand on his cheek. He instinctually molds his cheek into the warmth of her palm. She leans forward and places a soft passionate kiss on his lips that shows how grateful she really is.

Bryce watches in shock as Sarah drops the backpack and brings the other hand to Chuck's other cheek. She pulls herself closer to Chuck while Chuck's arms gently wrap her into his cocoon of warmth. The kiss continues to be gentle as their lips flatten against each other's for nearly thirty seconds. They finally realize trying to outlast the need to breathe is impossible so they separate their lips but stay in each other's embrace with Sarah's hands on Chuck's cheeks and his hands on her lower back. They both gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. Bryce has never seen Sarah so… mesmerized by someone before. His kisses with her were never simply gentle, sweet, or showed their feelings for each other like the kiss she just shared with Chuck showed. He has never seen Sarah so… in love before. He realizes that he lost Sarah to Chuck, of all people. It must be karma's way of playing a sick joke on him. For ruining Chuck's college career, he loses Sarah to the same man.

Chuck gazes lovingly into Sarah's eyes as his heart has reconstructed itself instantly and is now fluttering with excitement, fear, and relief. That was the single greatest kiss of his life. It wasn't a kiss of hunger or need for the other, but a kiss to show how much they care about each other. Chuck finally realizes that he won the battle for Sarah's heart. He defeated charming, handsome CIA spy, Bryce Larkin, for Sarah's love and he cannot be happier.

**/**

**I hope their reunion was satisfying. I couldn't leave it until Chuck realized that Sarah picked him. That would've just been to mean to stop right when he thinks he lost to Sarah to Bryce. I think Bryce deserved more than he got, but Chuck is not a violent person… or at least my Chuck isn't. Sarah definitely can be but only if someone threatens her everything and as in everything, I mean Chuck. I also had to get the word 'sullen' in their somewhere. I don't know why, but I just had to.**

**Please review. And if you're feeling charitable, you can check out my other story I just uploaded and give me any advice you can.**


	19. Finding the Way Back Home

**Thanks for all the reviews. I'm happy you were satisfied by their reunion. I would also like to thank the people who reviewed my other story. It will most likely be what I'll be working on once this story comes to a close. There is a warning for sexual situations and nudity.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Sarah makes her way back to Chuck after changing into the clothes Chuck gave her. Her feet are nicely padded with socks and moccasins, and she couldn't be happier. Chuck's eyes widen slightly and he barely suppresses a gasp at how beautiful she looks. She is wearing just a plain blue shirt and some khaki pants with socks and since Chuck didn't know her foot size, got her a pair of leisurely moccasins that are comfy, lightweight, and flexible. "Feeling better?" Chuck smiles brightly at her.

"Yep," Sarah smiles back at Chuck. She never knew someone could be so amazing before she met Chuck.

"I wasn't sure what size you were so I didn't want to get anything too stiff so I thought moccasins would be a good choice because they are loose and comfy and—"

Sarah's lips meet Chuck's and successfully stop his rambling as he reacts to the soft kiss. She has wanted to do that for way too long and it was a theory she just had to start running clinical tests for. Trial one was an exceeding success.

"What was that for?" Chuck asks in awe as the corners of his cheeks pull back into a goofy smile.

"You were rambling," Sarah responds nonchalantly like it is no big deal. "Thank you for the change of clothes and shoes. I feel so much better now."

"Great," Chuck's smile hasn't faded a single millimeter as he looks upon the angel in front of him. And Sarah couldn't be happier about seeing that smile again. She missed it way too much. She now has a new mission on her agenda: to make Chuck smile like that at least once a day. "Sarah?" Chuck says for the third time as she gets lost in his smile.

She shakes the goofy smile off her face and blinks at him to get out of her stupor. "Yea?"

"I think it's time to go home," he points to the big burly man holding the leader with his hands tied behind his back by the helicopter. _Home,_ Sarah admires hearing Chuck call it that. She finally has a place to call home and couldn't be happier about it.

"Oh," she then focuses on the disgusting man who had forced her to fight for his entertainment for the last two years. "I wish you would've gotten me steel toe boots," Sarah muses as her expression turns sickly angry and she walks up to the Boss.

"Why?" Chuck furrows his brow as he tries to catch up with Sarah, not really sure where she is going or what she is doing.

The Boss watches the livid blonde walk up to him and the last thing he remembers are all five of her right toes cratering into his groin and a fist to the left eye before his vision turns black and he drops to the ground in unconsciousness. Casey cringes at seeing the crushing blow and instinctually covers his own private parts.

"Give me your gun, Casey," Sarah demands with her hand out while she continues to gaze upon the man reduced to the floor.

"Not even a 'thank you for rescuing me, Casey'?" Casey sarcastically states with an amused smirk.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Casey," Sarah gives him a quick wry smile before looking back at the Boss slowly starting to come to on the ground. "Now give me your Beretta," she demands with the same determination as she holds her palm out.

Casey rolls his eyes as he places the sidearm into her hand. Sarah grips the pistol, cocks it back, and makes sure a round is chambered. She flicks off the safety and aims it at the Boss' head completely intent on killing the man. As she starts to squeeze the trigger, a comforting male voice halts her.

"Don't," Chuck demands soothingly.

She glances at Chuck to gage how serious he is before aiming back at the Boss with the same intention of killing the sick bastard.

"Sarah, please," Chuck pleads in a soft tone as he lays his hand on her shoulder. "You're not a murderer."

"But I am," Sarah states violently. Her whole life since her red test, she has always thought of herself as a murderer for what she has done in the past from her Red Test to the last man to die outside the clinic in the battle by her hands, but until recently, she had no remorse. She had always thought that that was what she became because of being a spy but somehow Chuck's words seeped into her mind and are fighting a battle against her negative thoughts.

"If you kill him, you are," Chuck states seriously.

"He needs to pay for what he's done," Sarah's hand trembles ever so slightly with her pained voice as Chuck's angels fight the demons inside her.

"And he's going to, but killing him is wrong. He is unarmed and helpless. If you have any respect for me, you won't kill him," Chuck's voice is stern but soft in a perfect blend of seriousness and comfort. She can tell he is absolutely serious about his warning and she does respect him. She doesn't want to lose Chuck and she knows she will if she kills this man, but her body doesn't seem to want to listen to her heart as it holds rigid.

_Please save me, Chuck,_ the seldom heard girl inside Sarah pleads as her body trembles vigorously. Tears start to form in her eyes and Chuck gently places his other hand on her outstretched arm. Sarah doesn't react as she tries to stay still, but is having trouble aiming and finding the strength to pull the trigger. Chuck slowly lowers her hand until it is finally at her side. He pulls her into a hug as she drops the gun onto the ground.

"Thank you," Sarah says tearfully as she lets herself mold to his body as her legs go complete weak. She lets her head rest on his shoulder as she burrows her tear-stained face into his neck. His hand holds her head to him while the other hand keeps her lower back against him.

"Thank you, Sarah," Chuck says soothingly as he just holds onto her for dear life. "You're doing the right thing. Let's just go home."

"Okay," she barely even whispers as she continues to fuse with Chuck.

Bryce is appalled by the scene before him. This is the first time he has ever seen Sarah so… human. She never showed any emotion and now she is crying and holding onto Chuck as a last salvation before she is lost to the evils of the world for eternity. He also realizes that he was never there for Sarah like Chuck is. He was never there to give her a hug when she needed one. He was never there to talk to her when she had a problem. He was there for only one thing and it was only because it was mutually pleasurable between them. He finally realizes that they were never together like a real couple. They were only there to watch each other's backs and make sure the mission was accomplished.

Chuck and Sarah finally come out of their embrace as Chuck keeps his right arm around Sarah's shoulders to hold her close to him. They take a step towards the helicopter when Sarah pulls out of his embrace. Chuck looks to his angel to see her throw one last kick into the Boss' crotch area. _He won't be using that for a while,_ Sarah smirks victoriously.

"Really?" Chuck conjectures mirthfully as he rolls his eyes.

"Sorry," Sarah grins shyly as she looks at Chuck with innocent eyes. "I couldn't help myself."

Chuck smiles at her as they walk towards the helicopter where Bryce is standing. Chuck turns to Bryce and throws one last hook into the same spot on Bryce's jaw. Once again, Bryce not expecting it is taken by surprise and stumbles back.

"That was for Stanford," Chuck declares bitterly with an aura of confidence around him.

"Really?" Sarah conjectures mirthfully as she rolls her eyes.

"Sorry," Chuck grins brightly at Sarah as he mimics her words. "I couldn't help myself."

Sarah snorts laughingly as they step into the helicopter together. Chuck finds a comfy spot on the floor of the cabin with his back to the back wall of the helicopter. Sarah instantly drops in front of him and rests her back comfortably against him. His arms immediately wrap around her stomach and hold her close to him.

"I think I like that kid," Casey snorts teasingly as a smirk grows on his face. "Gave you quite a good licking."

"Shut up, Casey," Bryce rolls his eyes and shakes his head in disbelief. He immediately regrets talking as his jaw flares with pain from Chuck's punches, which hurt more than he expected and every movement of his jaw stings. And every word he speaks causes movement in his jaw. "What next?"

Casey lets out another snort before getting back to business. "Break up this disgusting organization and send everyone on their merry ole way," Casey grumbles sarcastically.

"What do we do with him?" Bryce looks upon the defeated man still on the ground.

"I'll handle it," Casey picks up the disoriented Boss by the handcuffs and drags him away.

/

Chuck and Sarah sit their quietly enjoying each other's presence while all the military personnel figure everything out. Sarah cannot be happier that she is back in Chuck's arms. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" Chuck asks soothingly. She is beautiful in his arms.

"Nope," Sarah responds quietly.

"Thank god," Chuck sighs as he pulls Sarah up higher by her stomach so she is snugly fit between his legs. She smiles brightly at his protectiveness as he hugs her to him like a child hugging their favorite stuffed animal.

A single gunshot softly resonates through the cabin that sounds like it came from a good hundred feet away. Chuck's eyebrows rise while Sarah ignores it by cuddling deeper into Chuck by putting Chuck's legs on top of hers. Chuck instantly ignores the noise as he has an angel in his arms to attend to.

"Sarah? What if I became a CIA agent?" Chuck asks curiously as he amusedly ponders the idea.

"No," Sarah turns and looks into his eyes with a worrisome expression.

"But then I probably would've met you a long time ago?"

"You don't know that for sure," Sarah says slightly angry with even the thought of Chuck becoming a spy. "I don't want you to be one," she states determinedly. "It causes you to lose everything you are and I don't want to lose any part of you," she states worriedly as she imagines Chuck losing what makes him, him.

"I was just curious after what Bryce said," Chuck insists to calm her down. "But I don't want to be an agent. I already have everything I could ever want in this life," he states seriously as he gazes into her eyes.

"Thank you, Chuck," she cuddles into his arms. _I love you too,_ she says in her mind, afraid to say it out loud. Chuck holds her closer to him as silence falls over them.

Chuck breaks the comfortable silence with a low hum as he spontaneously starts humming the Star-Spangled Banner. Sarah's trying her best to stifle the laugh that is just dying to come out of her jumbled up grin. After about thirty seconds, she cannot hold it in anymore and a small giggles escapes her lips.

"What?" Chuck smiles at her innocently.

"Aren't you quite the patriot? Why are you humming the Star-Spangled Banner?" Sarah asks mirthfully as she sits up to glance at him.

"Oh," Chuck shakes his head with a dumbfounded expression. He didn't even realize that he was humming that of all things. "Sorry, it's kind of stuck in my head."

"Okay," Sarah shakes her head subtly as she doesn't really care how something so random gets stuck in someone's head before she falls back to her position on his shoulder. The only person it wouldn't be surprising to hear hum the Star-Spangled Banner would be Casey; the guy is a hardcore Uncle Sam type of American. She lets her eyelids close and she immediately falls into a blissful slumber. She barely got any sleep last night and being in Chuck's arms is so tranquil and calming. It is virtually the first time she has fallen asleep since the last time she slept in Chuck's arms in the bed back at the clinic.

"I love you, Sarah," Chuck whispers quietly to the sleeping beauty as he softly kisses the top of her head.

/

"Agent Wal—" Casey immediately quiets down at the sight before him. Sarah is asleep in Chuck's arms while Chuck is glancing down and admiring her peaceful look. If Casey had any iota of estrogen in his body, he might want to drawl out an 'awe, how cute' at the adorable sight.

Chuck looks up at Casey for a brief glance. "Thank you for saving her," he says softly but gratefully before looking back down at the angel in his lap. She is beautiful.

"You're welcome," Casey responds surprisingly gentle. "You gave Larkin quite the beating," Casey grins at Chuck as he remembers seeing Bryce get punched out.

"He deserved it," Chuck states with a small smirk.

"I'm sure he did," Casey nods. "Right now though, my orders are to take you home and take Agent Walker back to Washington."

"I'm not leaving her," Chuck states predatorily. He is not losing Sarah again and not trusting anyone with her unless it is her decision.

"Orders are orders," Casey's gentle tone starts turning hostile as he may like Sarah in a professional capacity but he damn will follow orders.

"Casey," Sarah states sleepily as she slowly lifts her head off of Chuck's shoulder. Chuck guides her up gently to make sure she is comfortable. "I'm going home with Chuck."

"What am I supposed to tell my superiors?" Casey asks matter-of-factly.

"I don't care what you tell them, but I'm staying with Chuck," Sarah says as she finally opens her eyes to reveal the vast blues of the ocean.

"What about the CIA?" Chuck asks Sarah curiously. "Aren't you still an agent?"

"I'm done with them," Sarah looks into Chuck's eyes. "I finally found a home and a family."

Chuck beams with the biggest smile Sarah has ever seen. Truth be told, she was slightly worried about calling Chuck her home and family, but that smile gives her soothing relief. She cannot stop the smile forming on her own face that mirrors Chuck's smile.

"You can't just leave," Bryce says seemingly out of nowhere as he steps into the helicopter cabin.

"I'm not. They forgot about me," Sarah answers exaggeratedly innocent as she grins subtly at Chuck. "I guess I forgot about them too."

"Come on," Bryce pleads with an enticing smile. "Larkin and Walker, together again?"

"We stopped being a team the minute you left me here to rot," Sarah states slightly bitterly. Chuck instinctively tightens his hold on Sarah's waist.

Bryce doesn't have an answer for that. It is exactly as it sounds, so he has no way to win the conversation. "Graham's not going to be happy with your choice," Bryce states warningly.

"I don't care. This is my life and I get to choose what I want to do," Sarah responds with the same bitter tone.

"I'm not going to stop you," Bryce says softly, understanding and accepting defeat, "but are you sure this is what you want?"

"I've never wanted anything more in my life," Sarah replies with utter seriousness as she stares into the chocolate eyes of Chuck. She can get lost in those swirls at any moment and she cannot love the feeling more.

"Well," Casey shrugs with a tiny grunt as a smirk grows on his face, "at least I got some gunplay in." Casey doesn't care where Sarah ends up. His mission was to rescue her and he did exactly that. This is a golden star in his books, and that's all that matters to him.

Sarah lets out a tiny giggle as she coddles herself back into the safety and warmth of Chuck. Casey hasn't changed a bit since the last time she worked with him. Chuck goes back to admiring the angel in his arms while gently petting Sarah's cheek as she closes her eyes again to fall asleep in the safest place possible, Chuck's arms.

/

The helicopter descends back to the earth in front of the clinic with a low churning rumble. As the helicopter makes a resounding plop onto the ground, Casey opens the sliding door of the black hawk. Chuck climbs out and puts his hand out to help the now awake Sarah. She graciously takes it as she climbs out of the chopper and into his arms.

"I can't promise Graham is going to be happy about this," Bryce informs Sarah.

"I own my own life now," Sarah declares seriously with no room for argument. She spent too many years of her life not doing what she wanted; from the years helping her dad pull off cons to the multiple missions the CIA put her through.

"You want to say hi to my sister?" Chuck asks with an airy tone as he tries to hold in a chuckle.

"I don't think I need to get beat up by another Bartowski," Bryce answers jokingly.

Chuck lets out a good hearted laugh. "Alright," he calms down and smiles at Bryce. "Good luck on whatever endeavors the spy life takes you through."

"Thanks buddy," Bryce smiles back. "Good luck to you too. I never did want to hurt you."

"I know."

"Goodbye Sarah. You're in good hands now," Bryce grins at Sarah as she smiles brightly.

"I know that," Sarah glances at Chuck with pure love.

"Alright," Bryce backs into the helicopter. "I'll see you around."

"Alright Bryce," Chuck nods before turning towards the clinic.

Bryce shuts the door and the helicopter ascends a few seconds later.

Sarah hugs herself to Chuck's waist and he puts a securing arm around her shoulders as they walk into the clinic.

"Sarah!" Ellie hugs both of them tightly. "You're okay! I'm so glad. Chuck missed you so much." Chuck starts to redden with a blush at Ellie's confessing. "He called the CIA and everything to get you back. I never seen him so worried before."

Chuck's skin is nearly at tomato red with an embarrassed grin and Sarah smiles joyfully at him. "I missed him too," she responds, which makes Chuck's nervousness disappear instantly.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Ellie asks with concern.

"Nope, Chuck saved me in time," Sarah says with an admiring glance at Chuck.

"If you don't mind, El, I think a shower is in order and then some catching up on some sleep," Chuck says sincerely as he yawns.

"Oh!" Ellie nearly squeals with joy at seeing them together again. "Go ahead! I won't get in the way."

"Alright," Chuck smiles at his sister before he and Sarah head for the living quarter.

As they enter, Sarah notices her duffle bag is sitting on top of the bed and doesn't look to be missing anything inside the bag. "Did you get my note?" Sarah asks curiously.

"Yea, that's how I found out you were a spy," Chuck answers calmly before a smile graces his face. "And evidently how I was able to call the CIA and tell them about you."

"So, you read the note then," Sarah sighs sadly.

"It's okay, Sarah," Chuck says soothingly. "I don't care what you were in the past, because I know who you are now."

She gives him a small smile. "It's just…"

"I don't care what you did in your past. We all have skeletons in the closet. Well, not literal ones like some of us might, but you know what I mean," he smiles brightly as he jokes to raise her spirits. She struggles to stop the smile growing on her face. "Anyways, nothing can make me love you any less," Chuck says humbly.

Sarah didn't know hearing someone say they love you can feel so amazing. Her heart literally clenched with joy as her stomach fluttered. She knows she should say it back, but her hardened agent side admonishes her for thinking it. "Okay," she says shyly. "Let's take a shower. I want to wipe off the stench of that wretched place."

"Okay," Chuck smiles brightly as he pulls his shirt off and gathers a clean outfit.

Sarah's eyes glaze over for just a second before she controls herself. She has to bite down on her lower lip just so she won't jump him right there. She quickly hides her scarlet face from him as she thinks about the fact that she doesn't have any clothes. Luckily, the clothes she is wearing right now aren't dirty so she can wear them after the shower.

/

Sarah follows Chuck into the shower stall and Chuck smiles widely at her. "Just like old times?"

"Except for I get to be part of the festivities this time," Sarah grins mischievously as she runs her hand along Chuck's thinly toned abdomen.

Chuck's smile only widens as Sarah smiles lovingly at him. She removes her hand to pull off her clothes. She neatly folds them on the bench before joining Chuck under the raining shower. She gives him an affectionate squeeze on both of his ass cheeks; something she has wanted to do for some time now. "Hi oh!" Chuck nearly jumps at the unexpected touch.

Sarah stifles a laugh at Chuck's comical antics as she hugs her bare chest flush up against his back. He tenses for a slight second before relaxing. She runs her left hand along his chest as her right hand finds something else to grab a little lower on his body. She can feel him growing more attracted by the second and smiles brightly. This is exactly what she wanted to do the first time they showered together.

Chuck gently turns himself so he is looking right into Sarah's eyes, her hands falling to her sides as his sudden change in position startles her. Their eyes lock as they gaze lovingly into each other's eyes; brown mixing with blue. She starts to turn to putty in his confident sexy gaze as his hands start gliding down her back until they cup her ass, bringing her tighter into him. He keeps his gaze on her as if he is looking for permission and she relays her affirmative answer in the twinkle in her eyes.

Chuck takes control and attacks her lips with a heated passionate kiss. She immediately reacts with her own advances as she duels with his tongue while letting her hands roam on his backside; one part in particular that just happens to be split into two perfect slices. Chuck, without breaking the kiss, lifts her up by her upper thighs and spreads her legs as wide; his erection fitting perfectly inside her as she swallows all of him to the hilt. She quickly wraps her legs around him for more stability and control. She lets out a shaky breath as she feels an orgasm coming on. Her abdomen clenches as the heat rises inside her faster than a match. He allows one thrust inside her and that sends her barreling over the point of no return. She bucks back with her neck straining backwards and her spine curving concavely as the pleasure throws her senses into hysteria. She is rocked by the euphoric orgasm as she lets out a long quiet moan. Her mind is in complete disarray at the amazing feeling that just shook her entire body. Her warm juices fill the gaps between them as he continues to thrust into her, feeling himself tumbling over that point of no return as an orgasm hits him harder than it has ever had before.

/

They finally finish cleaning off each other's bodies. Sarah made it tough for Chuck because she kept cleaning a single specific part of his body. In all honesty, Chuck didn't mind because there were multiple parts of Sarah's body that he didn't want to move on from. Let's just say their hands stayed below the belt for a little longer than needed.

They both get dressed in silence as they think about the amazing orgasms they gave each other. Sarah doesn't know how to explain what just happened to her. She couldn't even contain herself for a single thrust. She had never had an orgasm that fast in her life. It was like she was a virgin all over again. Two years is a long time to go without sex, but that felt so amazing, it felt like she had gone her whole life without sex; at least she had without Chuck sex, or 'making unconditional love' being another name for it. She had never been so hot and bothered before and seeing Chuck take control and take her was the biggest turn on ever. Sarah's legs are still slightly weak after what he did to her. She is also ecstatic that she finally made love in a shower with the first man who gave her the idea.

Chuck tries to rationalize what happened to him in the shower. He completely lost control and just had to have her like it was essential in his life. He needed her and he never felt so great in his life. It wasn't just a release like sex has been for him in the past, not that he ever wanted it to be, but this time around, it was… different. He was never hit so quick and hard by an orgasm before. The instant he felt her tighten around him, he completely lost it and made unconditional love with her. He hopes he didn't hurt her with the surprising confidence he showed. He wasn't rough on her, but he was… strong and demanding. He's never acted like that before, but he enjoyed it so much more with her than with anyone else he's ever been with. He felt even greater when he was able to make love to the woman he loves unconditionally.

Sarah makes sure to hold onto Chuck, precautionary only, as they make it to the living quarter. They both strip to their underwear and climb into bed. Sarah fits herself in on his right side again and cuddles up against him. She places her left ear over his heart as she lets her right hand rest on his bare abdomen. His heartbeat once again, calming her down and lulling her to sleep. It doesn't hurt that she just had the greatest orgasm of her life either.

Chuck finds sleep quickly as everything is finally in order and life is finally balanced perfectly. He was not only tired from being too worried about Sarah being safe, but that orgasm she caused him was… amazing. Chuck still cannot describe the amount of pleasure she gave him. He peeks down at her while she looks up at him. She is positively glowing with post-coital happiness. Her eyes have taken a more vibrant sapphire color and her skin is lightly touched with a soft glow that he has never seen on a woman before. He cracks a tiny smile and mumbles sleepily, "goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight Chuck," Sarah replies before curling back up onto his chest and listening to her very own Chuck lullaby or 'Chuckaby' as his heart murmurs pleasantly.

In less than a minute, a small snore escapes his orifices as his imagination thinks of a gorgeous blonde angel who may or may not have clothing on, but definitely huge white angel wings and a halo over her head.

Sarah looks up at Chuck as she hears the snore and grins contently while admiring the pleasant grin on his facial features. She definitely feels it, but it isn't easy for her to say. She has only said it to two other people in her life, her mom and dad, and then she didn't usually mean it. But now, she has never felt like there was a more perfect word to say, but the thought still scares her slightly. She is taking a huge leap of faith in her mind if she does say it. At least he is asleep and this can be used as a trial run. She snuggles back into his chest and mumbles quietly, "I love you Chuck."

/

"What do you mean Walker isn't with you?" Graham admonishes angrily as he slams on his desk. "You told me it was a success with no casualties!"

"It was, sir," Bryce Larkin's voice projects from the phone on Graham's desk. "No one was injured and Age—Sarah was successfully rescued. But she has decided to stay with Chuck."

"The person who called in her location?" Graham's voice rises with surprise and anger. He never expected Sarah to give up everything for a single person. "She's giving up everything for him?"

"Yes, she is," Bryce reaffirms.

"I didn't rescue her so she can live out her life with some boy!"

"I'm not going to go back for her," Bryce says determinedly. "She has chosen how to live her life and that is her decision. I will respect whatever she wants. You, of all people, should be happy for her. I think this is something she has always wanted, but never knew it."

Graham sighs in frustration. "Fine," he grunts out agitatedly. He understands that Sarah may've been one of the greatest agents the CIA has ever had, but she was always missing something. She finally found what she was missing and he is hard-pressed to remain angry with her. "Just get your ass back here. I'll deal with Walker."

"Yes, sir," Bryce's voice fades as he ends the call.

**/**

**This feels like a good place to stop. There will be only one more chapter to make it an even twenty. I know how sad that is, but everything has to come to an end. Yes, even the battery life of the device you're reading this on.**

**Please review.**


	20. Taming The Giant Blonde Shemale

**Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favoring this story. They make every story infinitely more fun to write. I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story and I hope you enjoyed it for start to finish. Writing this is an experience I will never forget. There will be some nudity and sexual situations in this chapter.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**/**

Chuck's eyes flutter open after the long restful sleep he had. He cannot remember the last time he slept that well. There is a comfortable weight resting on his chest. He looks down to see the beautiful blonde tresses splayed over his chest and he smiles as he admires the beauty before him. Her head is curled across his chest and right over his heart while her hand is on his… morning wood? Chuck's eyes widen as he feels her thumb subtly rubbing against his hardness through his boxers. He can tell she is still asleep by her even breathing, but she is unconsciously rubbing him. He doesn't know what to do as his heart starts to quicken its pace.

The irregularity of Chuck's heartbeat stirs Sarah from her sleep. She lazily opens her eyes and the first thing she sees is where her hand is. She lets out a mischievous smile without moving to make Chuck think she is still asleep. She continues the small movement on his manhood as she enjoys seeing it. She doesn't want to stop touching it as it keeps her insides boiling with passion. She knows she can only fake sleeping for so long so she grazes her hand over his entire length as she passes it off as her stirring awake. She uncurls herself as she looks up at Chuck, making sure her leg lifts and rubs up against his manhood. "Good morning, Chuck," she says softly as she kisses the edge of his chin.

"Good morning Sarah," he replies with a slight crack in his voice as he looks down into her eyes. He sees a mixture of love, ecstasy, and passion. "Or is it the night? I don't really know what time it is," he nervously stammers out.

"I know what time it is," she states mischievously as she looks down at his hardness. She slowly slides her hand under his waistband as she has wanted to feel him again since the first time in the shower before going to sleep. She is pleasantly surprised by the soft warm skin that her fingers are now gently wrapped around.

Chuck's mind just turned off completely. He doesn't know what is going on, but he is happy and turned on. _What am I even looking at?_ Chuck asks as his mind tries to make coherent thoughts, but his brain fails. _Who cares, she is gripping all of you_, his mind admonishes as it forgets what he is staring at and devotes everything to the pleasure he is feeling.

Sarah keeps her hand gripped around him as she looks back up. She can see the glazed over expression on his face and smiles at his reaction. She slides herself up a little as she gives him a kiss on the lips. Surprisingly, he is able to kiss back with fervor. The passion in the kiss quickly turns heated and before Sarah knows what happened, her bra is now lying over Chuck's chest. She was so lost in the kiss that she didn't even realize his hands had worked the clip of her bra. She is quickly losing this fight as her pleasure senses are going into overdrive. She needs to counteract Chuck's advances. She can't let him dominate her again.

She slides herself completely over him as she straddles him. She grinds herself against his erection. She could've sworn she heard a low moan come from Chuck, but she cannot be certain if it was him or her because his hands are now on her breasts and rubbing them so sensually. She's losing it again and her mind is quickly turning to mush so she cannot think of any ways to counteract Chuck's advances. _Screw it,_ her mind says as it gives up on trying to get the upper hand. _More like screw me,_ she smirks for a quick second before looking upon Chuck. His eyes are on her face as his hands are inside the lining of her panties and holding each ass cheek predatorily.

Sarah crashes her lips down onto him, hoping to stall his advances until she is in more control, but it fails completely. Chuck spins them so he is now hovering over her with a predatory gaze. _Oh god, he's going to destroy me,_ Sarah thinks after seeing the determined look on his face. He pulls her panties down to the rim of her socks as she pulls his boxers down to his ankles. Chuck is in complete control of her and again it turns her on even more. The idea of being taken by Chuck is so great that she is already feeling her abdomen tighten as it tries to push her over the ecstasy rainbow.

Chuck briefly glances into her eyes, before thrusting himself into her. She lets out a loud moan as she tightens around his length. The single thrust, up to the hilt, throws Sarah into complete disarray as she explodes with euphoria. Chuck feels her tighten around him, which causes him to go into overdrive as he feels himself flying over that same rainbow.

/

Sarah lies halfway on top of Chuck. They are both completely nude; Sarah's hair is frazzled and spread across the pillow as they both try to catch their breaths. Again, she doesn't know what happened. The second he got inside her, she lost it again. _How does Chuck keep doing this to me?_ She asks herself as she looks at the ceiling in surprise, confusion, and happiness. She doesn't even know if she can move after what he has done to her, not that she wants to move. Chuck's hand is resting on her right breast, his left hand is on her arm, and he is pressed flush against her ass.

Chuck mindlessly rubs his hand over her breast as he tries to figure out what happened. Again, he blew his load the instant he found himself inside her. He doesn't know how she can affect him so quickly. _A double rainbow of epicness,_ Chuck thinks happily as they both exploded with euphoria at just about the same time. He loves this woman more than anything in the world, and the ability she has to make him lose it so quickly. He just stares at the ceiling in surprise, confusion, and happiness.

"Don't," Sarah's voice softly breaks him from his thoughts as she pulls her left arm out of his left hand's embrace.

"Sorry," Chuck didn't realize his left hand was innocuously tracing the scars on her left arm. He immediately stops as he lowers his hand.

"It's okay," she says in the same soft tone. She honestly doesn't know if she has the energy to talk normal or even get out of the bed for that matter. Her voice takes on a quiet saddened tone, "It's just… I hate what they remind me of."

"Sarah," Chuck turns her head so she can look into his eyes. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world," he states intensely with pure truthfulness. Sarah gazes in awe as she listens to his words seep into her. "They are a part of your infinite beauty. Plus," he grins humorously, "They make you kind of badass looking."

Sarah struggles to hold in a laugh as she jumbles up her lips in a pursed grin. "Thank you, Chuck," she gives him a soft kiss on his lips before relaxing on top of him. "I love how you always know what to say to make me happy. You're my very own handsome nerd."

"Sarah, can I just say that that was the most amazing feeling ever?"

"Yep," Sarah lets out a tiny giggle. "I think it's safe for us both to say that."

"That was the most amazing feeling ever," Chuck says in awe as he turns Sarah so she is now lying with her chest pressed up against his. He gives her a soft passionate kiss on the lips that she responds with pure love. After the kiss, Chuck looks into those sapphire eyes that have never been so bright and lively before. They are so gorgeous that Chuck nearly gets lost in them. "I love you, Sarah," Chuck says with pure truthfulness.

Sarah is hit with two different emotions: fear and happiness. It is great to hear Chuck say that to her. It is a sign of showing he is completely dedicated to her and will do whatever it takes to make her happy. The problem is it means she is attached to him in an emotional way. She has a direct link to his heart. She has been training for this, unknowingly all her life, to say those three words back to someone who deserves it. Chuck has definitely showed enough that he deserves to hear those words from her. No one has ever made her feel like he has, and she's not only talking about the making love. That is just one facet of her handsome nerd's many, many abilities.

Chuck lets out a breath of disappointment as negative thoughts of Sarah not loving him start to constrict his heart when Sarah speaks up. "I love you too, Chuck," she says softly but with a determination that is powerful enough to move a mountain.

Chuck's disappointing expression instantly changes to relief and happiness as he hugs her to him; his right hand sliding up and down her bare back to massage her.

/

Chuck and Sarah, now dressed, walk out of the living quarter to the hallway. The lights are shining bright as they look for any sign of civilization. They walk by the kitchen to see Ellie and Devon eating. Chuck and Sarah walk in and they both get a different look from the people eating. Devon has an amused smile on his face like he is proud of them for finally consummating their relationship while Ellie has pleasant smile that is admiring the two lovers for what they've gone through to be together.

"Hey guys," Chuck scratches his head as he looks around curiously. "What time is it?"

"Dinner time," Ellie giggles and Devon joins her in the mirthful gesture.

"Wow, we slept for quite a while," Chuck shrugs innocently in slight surprise.

"That depends on what you mean by sleeping," Ellie grins deviously at the lovers. She can immediately recognize the glowing look on Sarah. She is beaming with post-coital content. As for Chuck, she knows her own brother and he always has a fairly large shit-eating grin after intercourse, but the smile on his face is larger than she has ever seen on him before.

Both of them blush scarlet red at hearing Ellie's quip; knowing exactly what she is talking about. Ellie and Devon both let out goodhearted laughs at seeing the nervous look on their faces of having been caught red-handed; or red-faced in this scenario.

"You guys gonna eat?" Ellie asks with the same devious grin on her face.

"You guys can definitely use some protein," Devon quips which causing him to laugh along with Ellie.

"Yea," Ellie tries to contain herself, "unless you guys just ate or something."

"Okay, okay," Chuck finally speaks up as Sarah has never felt so embarrassed in her life. She doesn't really know why she should be embarrassed, she made love with Chuck and it was the greatest thing in the world. A grin grows on her face just thinking about it. "Enough Chuck and Sarah bashing," Chuck demands much to Sarah's relief.

"Alright," Ellie says as tears of laughter escape her eyes. "Come have dinner with us then."

/

Chuck and Sarah are sitting on the stairs of the porch just watching the stars. Sarah is molded to Chuck's side as she rests her head on his shoulder. "The stars are beautiful," Sarah muses to break the comfortable silence.

"Meh," Chuck shrugs carelessly. "I've seen better," he looks straight at her. "Now that is beautiful."

She looks at him as she tries to keep the smile from appearing on her face. "Do you mean that?" She asks with hope and curiosity. Many people have told her that, but it never felt like the truth. But when Chuck says it, it means so much more to her.

"One hundred percent," Chuck answers seriously. "You are the single most beautiful thing in this world. I don't know how many times I have to say it for you to believe it, but I will every day from now on out."

"I love you, Chuck," she hugs his waist tightly as she buries her proud expression into his side.

"I love you too," Chuck relays happily as he wraps his arm around her back and massages her gently.

Sarah holds onto him for dear life. She is still afraid that this is all a dream and she is going to wake up back in the cage of that awful complex. She cannot lose Chuck again. No one has ever loved her so unconditionally. Not only does he truly believe she is beautiful even with all the scars, but he understands her and knows exactly how to make her happier than she knew was possible.

"Chuck?" Sarah breaks another comfortable silence as she looks up at him.

"Yea?" He looks into her eyes.

"I want to go back to America one day," she says slightly shyly.

"We will," Chuck nods verily. "I promise."

"Okay," Sarah gives him a gracious nod.

Chuck's phone rings suddenly in his pocket. He kind of forgot all about it. He innocuously pulls it out and answers it. "Hello?"

Sarah looks at him with a furrowed brow as she crooks her head slightly.

"Um… it's for you," Chuck hands her the phone with a dumbfounded expression. He mouths something along the lines of 'Rector Ram.'

"Hello?" Sarah asks curiously with a deeply furrowed brow.

"Sarah, this is Director Graham," the low pitched voice on the other line states.

Sarah instantly stands up straight in surprise. Chuck immediately runs his hands along her sides to comfort her.

"Director?" Sarah answers in surprise.

"Sarah, it's good to hear your voice again. I'm happy you're safe now."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'm calling because Larkin told me you no longer wanted to be part of the agency. Is that true?"

"Yes sir," Sarah looks at Chuck and that reinforces her decision. "I'm happy here. I found a great life here with a great family and friends."

"I'm happy for you," Graham says with a mixture of pride and disappointment. "I'll put through all the files for your release from the agency. I've already liquefied all your assets and will wire all the income you've earned to your bank account."

"Uh, thank you," Sarah is slightly flabbergasted at what she is hearing. She didn't expect Graham to do all that for her.

"Just make sure this is what you really want."

Sarah steals another glance at the cute adorably handsome face of Chuck and it answers her question instantly. "This is exactly what I want. I've never thought I could want something like this, sir, but I think all along, I've been looking for a family and friends. I finally have that and I've never been happier." A tear of happiness escapes Sarah's cheek. Chuck quickly wipes it off her cheek as he admires her and the words she just stated.

"Alright," Graham says with what sounded like a small crack in his voice. "It was a pleasure working with you, Sarah."

"Thank you, sir. We had some fun times," Sarah smiles as she lies against Chuck; his arms immediately encircling her upper arms and holding her in his embrace.

"That we did," Graham says with mirth through a saddened smile. "I'm glad you finally found what you were looking for. It looks like someone was finally able to tame my wildcard enforcer."

"Yea," Sarah looks up at Chuck. "That life is behind me. I'm just Sarah Walker for now on."

"Goodbye Sarah."

"Goodbye Langston," Sarah ends the call and turns so she is looking right into Chuck's eyes. She can see the unasked question in his eyes. "I'm no longer Agent Sarah Walker of the CIA. Now I'm just Sarah Walker, Chuck Bartowski's loving girlfriend. And I couldn't be happier."

Chuck smiles brightly at her as he gazes into the loving eyes of the woman he loves more than life itself. Sarah gazes back into his eyes as she has never felt like her life was more perfect than it is now. She finally has everything she could've ever wanted. Her life is finally complete and perfect. The beast inside her has finally been tamed by a charming, sweet, handsome, humorous nerd.


End file.
